Are you thinking about selling your home in the near future? Listing your home should take careful consideration. We’ve put together some tips on how to prepare your home to sell, like working with a real estate professional, taking the outside-in approach, and what happens next. Continue reading to learn ways to help you maximize your home’s value and land you in a good place for the next chapter.
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1. Work with a Real Estate Professional
Preparing your home to sell is not as simple as choosing an asking price and snapping a few photos. To get the most value out of your home, consider working with a real estate professional. A Realtor will be able to provide you with great insights, such as recent comparable sales in your neighborhood and your home’s value. Before you list your home to sell, your Realtor might recommend some repairs or updates to boost its value. In addition to their knowledge and experience, Realtors often utilize marketing platforms such as MLS, or even their own website, and can help you craft a compelling listing description to attract more buyers. You can find a Realtor near you on websites such as realtor.com.
FBC Tip
While your real estate agent should be able to provide you with a sophisticated report on comparable sales in your area, do your own research by looking online for recent sales in your neighborhood.
2. Take the Outside-In Approach
Curb Appeal
First things first, before listing your home to sell, start by taking care of your lawn and cleaning your front entry, windows, and shutters if you have them. This is the first impression your potential buyers will have, and you should take advantage of it! This can also be a great opportunity to add some landscaping like small bushes, flowers, or mulch to bring out the best look for your home. Many of these updates can be Do-It-Yourself projects completed in a weekend at low cost.
Decluttering
Homes with lots of furniture can often feel cluttered, making the great spaces in the home feel smaller than they really are. Prepare your home to sell by reducing the amount of furniture (sometimes by as much as half!) and restaging the room. It’s only natural that after spending years in a home, it will be filled with memories and keepsakes from friends, family, and favorite trips. Unfortunately, these keepsakes might distract from the appeal of your home. Paring down excess furniture, décor, and personalized items (like family photos) can help to open your home up in both space and feel for your potential homebuyers.
Clean and Repair
Deep cleaning and addressing any areas of your home that need maintenance is an important step to take as you prepare your home to sell. Focus on high traffic areas of the home like the kitchen and bathrooms, as well as the overlooked spaces such as baseboards, windows, and light fixtures. In addition, take time to assess whether any areas need repair, such as leaky faucets, wobbly doorknobs, or loose hinges. By investing time in thorough cleaning and upkeep, you could enhance your home’s appearance and value.
FBC Tip
Keep your home in tip-top shape throughout the year with our seasonal guides: Your Ultimate Home Spring Cleaning Checklist, 22 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Summer, and 15 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Fall.
Staging
Once you’ve taken care of curb appeal and any necessary repairs, it’s time to consider staging your home. Staging showcases your home’s best features and helps potential homebuyers envision themselves in the space. Making rooms look their best can help decrease the time it takes a home to sell on the market while also increasing the offer price between 1 to 5%. According to research by the National Association of Realtors, the living room, primary bedroom, and kitchen are the most important areas for homebuyers.
3. What Happens Next?
Now that you have taken the first steps in getting your home ready and maximizing your home’s value, it’s time to think about what happens next. Are you ready to buy another home? You may be asking yourself, “How big of a house do I need?” Finding the right size home is a balance of matching the space you want with the maintenance you can manage and the budget you can afford. Check out our Guide to Right-Sizing Your Home for more helpful information.
FBC Tip
Moving to a new area? The next neighborhood you choose to live in will affect your lifestyle, budget, and more. Navigate this next step with some tips on How to Choose the Right Neighborhood.
Preparing your home to sell is an exciting time! To get the most out of your home, work with a real estate professional, focus on curb appeal, declutter your home, make necessary repairs and stage it to attract potential homebuyers. Ask yourself, “What happens next?” Whatever your next step looks like, make sure you talk with a mortgage or real estate professional that you trust and share your goals. They can help you set expectations for costs and your timeline as you explore the next chapter in your life.
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Why Choose FBC Mortgage?
FBC Mortgage, LLC is a leader in helping home buyers with fast and simple loans. We’re dedicated to exceptional customer service and are always available when you need us most, even at night and on the weekend. We’ll help you navigate your new home purchase, and keep you updated along the way with weekly check ins, so you know you’re taken care of. That’s one of the many reasons why 95% of our clients would recommend us to their friends and family. It’s also why the nation’s top home builders and Realtors trust FBC to help their new home buyers.
Buying a home is one of the most important financial decisions you will make. Understanding mortgages and the home buying process can help make it less stressful, and so can partnering with a mortgage lender you can trust. At FBC Mortgage, LLC, we’re dedicated to helping home buyers finance their dream home.
All information presented is for educational purposes only and not intended as financial advice. FBC Mortgage, LLC is a national mortgage lender headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Specializing in residential mortgage lending, including purchase, refinance, construction, and renovation loans. See what our clients have to say. NMLS#152859 EHL ©2024.
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