One thing that’s often overlooked when buying your dream home is having to sell your old one. That’s something many people who’ve gone through this experience aren’t eager to do again.
Why? Selling a home isn’t nearly as easy as one might think. In fact, there are several pitfalls to avoid.
Here’s what most people wish they would have known before listing their homes for sale…
“I wish I knew to interview more listing agents…”
OK, so you’ve decided that you’re going to be listing your home for sale. What’s next?
The most vital piece of the puzzle is to hire the right listing agent, and that means interviewing several of them. The wrong listing agent can easily cause you to miss out on tens of thousands of dollars, so don’t take this decision lightly.
Pick out the listing agent with the best knowledge of the local area over those who simply tell you what you want to hear and throw out overly ambitious numbers.
And do so before you have to list your home for sale. This will give you time to comfortably interview and select the right listing agent for you.
“I wish I knew how to prepare my home for showings…”
Don’t expect potential buyers to view your home through the best of lenses. If anything is smelly, dirty, or untidy, that’s how the majority of them will perceive the home to be all the time.
If you have pets, make specific plans for how you can deal with the smell, hair, etc. for showings.
Get your home professionally cleaned – it will make a world of difference. And move some of your things into storage if need be. Having your home in prestine condition is a must for sellers.
“I wish I knew how to find my home’s real value…”
Not doing your homework will lead to unrealistic expectations. And those unrealistic expectations can ruin your new home buying experience if you go into it thinking you’ll have more equity to use based on your previous home’s worth.
Check local comps, consider a presale inspection, look at nearby home sales over the past 6 months, and take a peek at trending prices.
When you know your home’s value, you’ll end up getting the right price for it.
