Key Takeaways
Sometimes it can feel like putting a property up for sale takes a village, but having a useful home selling checklist can help everyone involved stay on track. According to U.S. News, this year’s market conditions are expected to strongly favor sellers, so now is a great time to take action. Below you will find a checklist for selling a home to help you take advantage of the seller’s market.
The Best Checklist For Selling A Home
Are you interested in putting your property up for sale, but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you are a first-time homeowner selling your home for the first time, a real estate agent just starting their career, or a newbie investor getting ready to sell their first rehab project. No matter what position you find yourself in, you will find that the home selling process is not easy, and involves multiple, complicated steps. However, putting in the effort each step of the way is completely worth it when it comes to the potential payoff.
Below you will find a home selling checklist, adapted specifically for sellers, agents and investors, to help you and your home-selling team stay on track:
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Home Selling Checklist For Homeowners
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Interview Listing Agents: Homeowners must make a point out of interviewing prospective listing agents. If for nothing else, a truly great listing agent will know exactly how to market a property in a respective market. Therefore, it’s important to vet listing agents till you are comfortable you have found the right one.
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Price Your Home To Sell: The listing agent will conduct a comparative market analysis to determine the perfect selling price. That said, this is the place where sellers make some of the biggest mistakes. Remember, determining a perfect price is like walking a fine line; you don’t want to go too big or too small.
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Make Small Repairs And Upgrades: Take the time to make minor improvements and repairs. More often than not, a small repair can make a big difference. At the very least, small repairs can significantly add to the perceived value of the home.
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Consider An Inspection: It may be in your best interest to schedule a pre-listing inspection. Doing so will identify any shortcomings or areas that need to be addressed.
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Clean And Declutter: The best way to gain attention is to create a neutral living space. Therefore, you’ll want to clean out anything that is too personal. Proceed to remove furniture and decor until you feel the living space is as neutral as possible.
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Maintain A Show-Ready Appearance: Be sure to maintain an immaculate aesthetic throughout the home. Clean up any messes and go the extra mile to rid the home of anything that may be unsightly: dust, trash, clutter, etc.
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Get Ready To Move: Make the necessary preparations to move out on time. That means lining up movers and everything else required to switch homes.
Home Selling Checklist For Agents
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Present A Comparative Market Analysis: Present the sellers with a local comparative market analysis to identify nearby homes that have recently sold, and for how much. The analysis will help determine a price point for their own home.
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Set A Purchase Price: Again, setting the purchase price can be somewhat temperamental. Oftentimes, it’s better to set the price slightly lower than expected, as to generate a bidding war and drive up interest.
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Go Over The Marketing Plan: Go over the marketing plan with the sellers, as to give them an idea of what to expect. Feel free to listen to any suggests, but know that this is your area of expertise.
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Conduct A Walkthrough: Conduct a thorough walkthrough of the property with clients to discuss selling points and identify issues that need to be addressed.
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Provide A Checklist: Provide the sellers with a checklist on how to best prepare the property for selling. This will focus on making the decorations more neutral.
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Show The Property: Show the property to perspective buyers, and be sure to highlight sizzle features and selling pints.
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Negotiate With Buyers: This is where agents really make their money. Now is the time to negotiate with sellers to settle on a price that everyone likes.
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Assist With The Closing Process: Inform clients of what to expect during the closing process. This should include everything from escrow to contingencies; that way, clients will be more efficient at the closing table.
Home Selling Checklist For Investors
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Build A Selling Team: Compile and build a team of experts to help with the process. A properly-assembled team will not only make your job easier, but it’ll give respective experts the ability to shine and increase the likelihood of success. A good team will also free up your time to do more important tasks.
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Schedule An Inspection: Not unlike everyone else on this list, investors should schedule inspections whenever possible. A good inspection will reveal everything that must be known and prevent problems from occurring down the road.
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Price The Property To Sell: Oftentimes, it’s better to set the price slightly lower than expected, as to generate a bidding war and drive up interest.
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Stage The Property: Research has shown a properly staged home will sell faster and for more money. Therefore, it’s smart to invest a little extra money to move assets in a timely manner. Staging should, once again, be neutral and cater to the largest audience possible.
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Execute A Marketing Plan: List the property on every outlet you feel will do it service. Increasing exposure is the best way to sell a home. The more people that see it, the more likely it is to sell fast.
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Hold Open Houses A good marketing plan will boast a sound open house strategy. Open houses not only drum up interest, but they also fabricate competition. Gathering several interest buyers in one area has a way of increasing purchase prices.
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Close The Deal: With a final sales price agreed on, work with your team to close the deal as fast and efficiently as possible.
Summary
Selling a home looks different from everyone’s perspective. The things expected of agents, sellers and buyers are all unique to that individual. Therefore, you’ll want to take a look at these home selling checklists to make sure you are taking on the right tasks for your specific role.
