How much is your home worth? How long will it take to sell? What if you get an undesirable offer?

Selling your home can be a difficult process, but it’s much better when you have an agent. A good agent will not only walk you through this process, but they will take care of most of the heavy lifting.

Price your home to sell

The key is to think objectively about your home’s value. If you’ve lived in your home long enough to make memories, those sentimental ties could cloud your judgment. So, stick to the facts as much as possible when you estimate how much your home could sell for.

The best way to determine your home’s value is to ask a real estate agent to run a comparative market analysis (CMA). This free report compares your home to other homes near you that are comparable in size, have similar features, are currently on the market or have sold in recent months. The comparison allows your agent to more accurately predict what buyers will pay for your home and set a competitive price that’s based on fact, not emotion.

Stage your home

Once your home is in good working order, it’s time to set the stage and show off its best features. That starts with a deep cleaning. Unless you’re Mr. Clean, that probably won’t sound very fun, but a buyer isn’t going to forget if your home felt gross. Simple things like scrubbing the surfaces, a fresh coat of paint, carpet cleaning and decluttering are relatively low-cost and low-lift chores that will make a huge impact on your home’s first impression.

Negotiations

Pay close attention to these details:

• Purchase price

• Closing or escrow date

• Special allowances for personal property, home improvements and closing costs

• Contingency deadlines for the home inspection, appraisal and buyer financing

• Additional contingencies such as the sale of the buyer’s current home

Once you and the buyer reach a final purchase agreement, you won’t be sitting pretty quite yet. There’s still a lot to do from contract to closing, so here are some quick tips to help you manage this stage of the game:

• Don’t wait until the last minute to pack.

• Communicate with your buyer.

• Keep your home insurance up to date until you’ve signed the dotted line.

• Make a list of what to bring on closing day.

• Remain flexible because delays can, and will, happen.

Source: Ramsey Solutions