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Tips to Control Stress When Selling Your Home

When you sell a home, the experience has the inherent potential to be stressful. Not only is the rhythm of your daily life at the mercy of showings, but your home has to look tip-top for potential buyers.  Your privacy is held hostage to strangers opening closets and drawers as they snoop into your nooks and crannies. Yikes!  That is enough to get the calmest nerves twitching.

There are many moving parts to the sale of a house. There are many individuals involved in that sale. Any of these or a combination of several can become the stress source for the homeowner. These are factors the seller has no control over, zip, zero, none! However, there are many aspects of the home-selling process where the property owner can have power over the outcome. Making better decisions at the beginning of the process increases the likelihood of having a superior selling experience.

Since I have sat in the seller seat myself on a few occasions, I have gathered some morsels of wisdom on the subject. Since I love to share, as one seller to another, here are my best tips for a successful home sale.

Hire A Great Real Estate Agent

There are a few different ways people go about finding a real estate agent when they sell a home. Some seek recommendations from family and friends. That is one way to do it, but that doesn’t always work out to be the best method alone. Listen to recommendations by all means then go online and research those agents.

See if they have a robust online presence. Hopefully, the agent will have a website and an active blog with well-written informative information for both home buyers and sellers. The online posts will often also tell you how well they know the area, especially the community where you live. Check out their experience, their credentials, their awards, and accolades. And, this is very important, check their reviews and see what other clients said about their personal experience with the agent you are considering.

Excellent Internet Marketing is Critical

Last but not least, determine how the agent markets listings. Keeping in mind that the majority of real estate sales begin on the internet, you want an agent that has digital online marketing expertise. The listing photos should be professional. Check for virtual tours. Is drone photography available? Does the agent do a good job describing his listings? Once you narrow the field to two or three possibilities, make a listing appointment with each agent. Once you meet in person, you should have a feel for who is the best Realtor to sell your home.

This first step is critical because a great agent will market your home to sell quickly and at the best price. His advice will be invaluable from the beginning to the end. Once you have an accepted offer, he will make sure things move as seamlessly as possible and will head off potential issues, so they don’t morph into problems that create stress for you, the seller.

You Picked the Best Realtor, Now Take His Advice

As I mentioned above, your listing agent has a superabundance of valuable knowledge, experience, and insights. Use it to your advantage because trust me, that’s what he wants. Your Realtor will suggest the best price to ask for your home based on a market comparison of homes that have sold in your area and what is on the market now as well. He will share his suggestions and advise you how to show your home at its beautiful best. When you need help, he will recommend the best professionals he knows.

Make a Great First Impression

This tip is an easy one. All it takes is a spot of time and commitment. Clean your home until it shines. Start by getting rid of the clutter and personal photos and memorabilia like trophies, awards, sports memorabilia, and religious objects. Your goal is to make your home generic. Wash the windows, shampoo the carpets, paint the walls a neutral color, and repair anything that requires attention.

Don’t forget the outside of your home. The front yard is what buyers view first when they come to tour, so you want to up your game in curb appeal. Power wash the outside of your home, mow the lawn, trim the shrubs, paint the front door, update your mailbox, hardware or light fixtures. Resurface the driveway if necessary.  Plant some flowers or put some pots by the door if you have space.

Little things can have a substantial impact on how buyers perceive your home. Make sure you have the gutters cleaned, the chimney swept, the furnace and air conditioner serviced as well. Buyers want to move in and not have to worry about immediate maintenance.

Expect the Unexpected

Be flexible and ready to show your home at short notice. Out of town buyers frequently have a small window of time to view several homes. Accommodate them because they are the ones that will be looking to close a deal quickly.

Have a plan to keep your home tidy, clean, and show ready every day. You took the time and effort to clean it from top to bottom so don’t let that go to waste. Make the beds every morning, wipe down bath and kitchen countertops, don’t leave dishes in the sink or clothing and other personal items scattered around your living space. Oh and please, don’t forget to put down the toilet seats!

Get Out of Sight

When your real estate professional schedules showings or an open house, do not hang around. Sellers that hover are a big turnoff to potential buyers. They may feel uncomfortable looking into the closets and cabinets. It may inhibit them from asking critical questions about your property for fear of offending. It will also be challenging for them to make an emotional connection with the seller in the picture.  

This advice goes for the family pets as well. Make arrangements to remove them from your home any time buyers are coming through for a tour. Remember that just because you love your animals, not everyone is a dog or cat person.

Those are my best home seller tips. Incorporating them into your home selling plan doesn’t guarantee you will sell quickly, seamlessly and sans stress but it does increase the odds of that outcome.

Good luck on your home selling adventure.

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home, give Joe Houghton a shout. You know where to find him. 

Other articles you may like:  Prepare Now to Sell Later and Spring is Prime Time for Home Sales