Give yourself the best chances to sell your home

Selling your home can be a very emotional experience. You are leaving behind years of memories all while negotiating the price of your largest personal asset. It is important, however, to try to stay as level headed as possible during the business transaction that is selling a home. In order to do this, consider taking some of the following steps before bringing your home to market.

 

Set your expectations appropriately

 

One of the most emotional parts about selling a home can be negotiating the price and with a potential buyer. Not surprising is that most sellers believe their home is worth far more than it ends up selling for. Instead of setting yourself up for disappointment, decide on the absolute minimum price that you would be satisfied with before even listing your home. You can do this using appraisals and analysis from real estate agents (they will provide this for free).   If the offer comes in below the price you have mentally set, you can confidently end the negotiation.   As always, be gracious when refusing an offer, making sure to leave the door open for a higher offer in the future.   For more negotiating tips check out this article.

 

Find a great agent

 

Selecting who you list your home with is probably the single most important decision you will make in regards to getting your home sold. Select an agent who has a proven track record in the area, who utilizes all forms of technology to market the property and who will keep you in the loop during the entire sales process. It is no longer enough for an agent to simply list a home and hold the occasional open house. Agents should be earning their commission by using every possible way to get your home in front of potential clients. We suggest setting up interviews with 3 area agents and asking them to view the home and present you with their action plan to sell the home (If any of them look at you funny when you ask them to do this, you have just narrowed down your choices). Select the one you are most comfortable with, as the potential buyers will probably be comfortable as well.

 

Stage

 

A prospective buyer who visits your home is likely comparing your property against several others in the local area. In order to give yourself a great advantage over the neighboring listings, consider staging your home. Staging is an art of creating an atmosphere in your home that your visitors can "see" themselves living in.   Staging takes place once the home is clean and clutter free, and it involves a spectrum of activities from furniture arrangement to depersonalizing the home in order for it to appear larger, brighter and welcoming . There are simple steps you can take to stage your own home, or you can have it professionally staged. For more information you can visit _____ .

 

Green-up your home. Making a few changes to make the home as "green" as possible may be the different between you and the guy down the street.   Consider the following easy steps to take before listing the home.

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