The Simple Steps to Selling Your House

We can certainly overcomplicate things and draw them out but we shouldn't and we don't have to, especially when it comes to selling your house. I want to make it as simple, easy, and straightforward as possible so I hope these simple steps can give you great confidence in a good place to start.

The Simple Steps to Selling  Your HouseStep 1. Get the right real estate agent.

Yes, this really should be your first step. Before painting the house, cleaning, staging, and all that other stuff find an agent who is experienced, will deliver on their promises, and actually sells homes. Ask how many homes they have sold over the course of the last year. If it's less than six, they are either not a full-time real estate agent or they're not aggressive. You want to get this first step right. Interview as many people as possible and not just real estate agents that tell you what you want to hear. You want someone who's honest, direct, and will get the home sold for the right price.

Step 2. Tell your agent anything and everything you know about the house.

You want to disclose anything that could affect the value of your home. This is not the time to be deceitful or cross fingers and hope everything goes through. Hidden issues can pop up on the home inspection so, just like you would a lawyer, tell them everything now so you can determine what should be fixed, and what can wait.

Step 3. Start off at the right price.

Don't trust a real estate agent that starts off really high and comes down if need be. It's important to price your home correctly from the beginning. A great real estate agent will determine the comparable sales throughout your neighborhood, market values, and what homes are really selling for. This is a great place to start in determining the right price for your home.

Read More: 10 Things to know about Pricing Your Home

Step 4. Get the home ready.

Once you have an agent and you've determined the price, your agent may tell you a price range depending on what you do to the house. A well-staged home could go for $10,000 more, let's say, or, just a good cleaning will make the house shine. Trust your agent and ask their advice as to what needs to happen to the house before listing. Repair, replace, or update things if need be and clean like you've never cleaned before. "Statistics have shown that staged homes sell faster and for more money." - Sunny Isles Beach Realtor Leonard Woshcyzn

Step 5. Review any and all offers.

It is ultimately up to the homeowner to choose which offer to take. It's important to be reasonable, flexible, and communicate with all buyers and their agents. The more communication the better. Sometimes a high price offer is not always the best. Review all terms and details of the offer to determine which one is the best.

Step 6. The home inspection.

Your home will naturally have its own home inspection conducted by the buyer. A report will then be sent to the seller asking for repairs, money off, or the whole transaction could be terminated. It's important to discuss possible outcomes with your real estate agent and what to do moving forward.

Related: Don't Neglect Curb Appeal - Why Trees are good for your Property

Step 7. Prepare to move.

If all goes through with the home inspection the listing moves on to "pending" and from here it's just a matter of time for the home to close. Now is a great time to start packing up, planning your move, and what comes next.

Read More: 5 Mistakes When De-Cluttering a Home

Step 8. Don't mess up the house.

From the time of home inspection to closing you don't want to alter the home in any way. Buyers need to get the home exactly as they saw it when they tour the house or at home inspection. Of course, any repairs need to be made, but you can't trash the house, change the lighting fixtures, rip out appliances, and completely demolish the place between now and closing. Buyers have all legal right to rescind the offer if the home is destroyed.

Step 9. Prepare to close.

Now is the time were title companies, escrow, loan officers, and any other parties involved prepare the house for closing. You will be called in to sign before the buyer. Once completed, there's usually a 2 to 3 day waiting period and then the house can be turned over to the new owners.

#10. Final walk-through.

Buyers will probably want a final walk-through before closing. This is to verify any repairs or replacements that were made and to confirm that the house is as it should be. Buyers should set up an appropriate time and it should only take 30 minutes or so.

Read More: Home Renovations that Actually Decrease Your Home's Value

That's it! That's how to sell a house in 10 easy steps. Of course, there are a lot of details but just knowing how the steps should be and in what order to be more prepared and ready for the selling process.

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