How To List Your Home for Sale

Once you’ve decided to move homes, it’s time to begin the process of moving. Moving can be an overwhelming process, but researching, scheduling, and staying organized can significantly reduce the stress of moving. Here are a few early steps to get you started!

Find the Right Realtor

Start by researching the best realtors and realty companies in your area. Although it may be helpful to know realtors, it may not be in the best interest of your friendship to hire a close friend as your realtor. While your friend may be able to pull some extra strings or waive fees because of your relationship, this can strain your friendship and even ruin it. Most people find it best to have a purely professional relationship with their realtor.

It’s advisable to interview a few realtors and discuss their agent rates, marketing strategies, and more. You will also discover whether you can work better with one realtor over another. Hiring an insufferable realtor can make the moving process truly miserable.

Prepare Your Home

Once you find the right realtor and enter into a contract with them, you should prepare your house for sale.

• Make Repairs and Improvements: Carefully examine each room and the home’s exterior for any needed repairs or renovations. Schedule these repairs and renovations on your calendar and create a checklist for the supplies for each task. Working diligently to stay on schedule, as not accomplishing a task adds extra stress at the end of moving.
• Clean and Declutter: Potential buyers are more likely to buy (or overbid!) for your home when it’s clean and decluttered. Start by donating or disposing of anything you don’t plan to relocate. If possible, pack and store as much as you can so your house feels spacious and homey. Carefully deep clean all areas, especially the bathrooms and kitchen.
• Stage Your Home: If you’re living in your home while selling, arrange the furniture and decor in the best presentable way that highlights your wonderful home. Remove any photos of yourself, family, or pets, as you want potential buyers to feel like this could be their home, and personal photos work against this goal.
• Get Professional Photos: Professional photographers know how to capture your home and highlight its best qualities. Potential buyers are more likely to book a showing if your photos display your home as bright, clean, and spacious

Decide on a Price

Right before you list your home, research the other similar homes in the area and their listing prices. If there are a lot of similar homes in the area, it’s unadvisable to list above the current houses on the market, as there is enough supply to meet the demand of potential buyers. But if there are not many homes like yours, you can list your home at a higher price. Your realtor can help you make a realistic decision on a listing price.

Remember that potential buyers can always overbid your listing price if they really want your house, but having to reduce the price on your home is potentially damaging to the final sale of your home. Relisting the home at a lower price signals to potential buyers that something is wrong with your home, even if nothing is. They may be less likely to book a showing or buy your house when they see the price has been reduced. Take your realtor’s advice on listing prices, as they know the area and the best marketing strategies.

List and Promote Your Home

Your realtor will list your home on the MLS, which will sync with the realtor’s websites and apps. Ensure your home is also listed on websites like Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com. Your home is now available for sale!

You can also promote your home by sharing it on social media sites and asking friends to share it, too. This will generate interest in the community around your home, which is the good publicity you need. Plus, it feels great to have the support from your friends after all your hard work!

With the current housing market, don’t be surprised to have a revolving door of showings and offers pouring in. You’ll then need to review the offers with your realtor and make the best decision. Then work with your realtor through closing, and the job is done. Congratulations on the sale of your home!

Peavlor Moving & Storage Can Help!

While we can’t help with the preparation, listing, and selling of your home, Peavler Moving & Storage can help you with the next important step–relocation! Our skilled team can manage your whole relocation from start to finish, and even store your possessions in one of our quality storage facilities. Contact us today to get started!