Everything You Need to Know Before You List Your Home
Making the decision to sell your home, particularly your first home, is the perfect balance of exciting and daunting. There is a lot to look forward to, but there is also a lot of unknowns to navigate when you are unfamiliar with the process. To help give you clarity into the unknowns, and to help you prepare to sell your home, use this as your guide to everything you need to know before you list your house for sale.
Step Into a Potential Buyer’s Shoes Before you do anything else to make your home listing official, take a step back and look at your home through a fresh lens again. If you were in the market to buy your home, what would stand out as potential cons? You should consider your home’s curb appeal, given that is your home’s first impression. You should also consider anything about your home that may need tending to, which could be minor dings on walls, refreshing paint to more neutral tones, or perhaps fixing the sink that seems to take longer than necessary to drain. A good lens to use as you walk your home with a buyer’s mindset is “what might I ask to be fixed or resolved in an offer (or what could be a problem in an inspection)?” Even if there aren’t many things that need to be fixed in your home, it’s amazing the difference some newly planted shrubs outside, and fresh paint inside, can make to the overall impression buyers have of your house.
Finding the Perfect Listing Agent Any and all home sellers benefit from partnering with a great listing agent. They ultimately alleviate the stress and pressure from you, which is exactly what you need when you’re going through a process as important as selling your home. An ideal listing agent has experience through the sale of many homes. No one wants their home to be where a listing agent experiences their first on-the-job learning curve. Beyond experience, you will also want to be certain your listing agent has familiarity in your area. Local expertise goes a long way in how your home is marketed (leading to a higher selling price for you). Leveraging my over two decades in the industry, and knowledge of the Pine Brook, Montville, Towaco, Fairfield, Wayne, East Hanover, Hanover, Roseland, Livingston, Morris Plains, Morristown, and Rutherford areas, I give my clients unmatched expertise and guidance through the entire process (listing to close). Contact Michael Gabriel Realtor
Depersonalize, Clean, and Stage Once you have your home looking its best, and the perfect listing agent by your side, the final step you need to take before you list your home is all about helping buyers picture themselves living there. That starts by depersonalizing your home. Take down family portraits and signage, pack away décor that doesn’t appeal to a wide audience, and rid your home of any clutter. It’s always nice for your home to highlight your personality when you have guests visiting, but potential buyers are not guests. They are simply checking out your home to see if they can envision their family there - clutter, unique décor, and personal accents take away from a buyer’s ability to fully picture themselves in your home. Once you have depersonalized your house, the next step is to clean like you never have before. Your home is going to be evaluated more critically than it ever has in the past. Again, buyers aren’t typical house guests. Be sure that your house looks as stunning as it would if it were a new build. Clean baseboards, wipe down cabinets, steam clean carpet, wash the window that is usually out of reach - everything should be spotless (and it needs to stay that way through every home tour). The final step before you have your home listed is home staging and photographs. Your listing agent likely has a company they will recommend for staging and photos, coordinating many of the details for you. You can also discuss with your listing agent if they feel home staging is necessary, but most often, staging can be extremely impactful in helping your home appeal to buyers with a higher budget. Once your home is ready for buyers to view, you’ll have it photographed and your agent will officially put your home on the market.
Fresh Lens, Listing Agent & Photo-Ready After you have taken the time to look at your home with a fresh lens again, hired an experienced listing agent, and ensured your home is photo- and buyer-ready, your home will be prepared to be showcased on the market! Once your home is listed, lean on the guidance of your listing agent through the remainder of the home selling process. After all, they want your home selling process to flow just as smoothly as you do. Instantly Find Your Home's Value
