Last Updated on June 25, 2024
Much like buying your first home, selling your first home can be tricky if you don’t know what to expect. So rather than navigate the unknown on your own, let us be your guide!
Here are 5 tips to help guide you through this new endeavor.
Find the right listing agent
Your first step is to choose the right listing agent. You’ll need someone who can leverage their expertise to get your house sold, and this is certainly no small feat.
During the listing appointment, the right listing agent should present you with a full marketing plan as to how they plan on successfully selling your home in a timely manner and for the right price.
You’ll also want someone who can accurately price your home, provide home staging tips, and effectively negotiate with buyers when the time comes. And just as importantly, your agent will advise you once a buyer is under contract to buy your home to make sure you get to the closing table.
Ready to see how much your home’s worth? Check your home’s current value here!
Consider a pre-inspection
Your home needs to be in pristine condition if you want it to sell quickly, but more than just ridding every nook and cranny of dirt and dust, consider going the extra mile and having a pre-inspection done.
Your Realtor® can provide you with a recommendation for a good home inspector who will be able to zero in on potential pitfalls that could scare off buyers. Get ahead of the game by fixing any serious issues and feel confident that come closing time, there won’t be any red flags.
A pre-inspection can possibly prevent any surprise repair expenses once you have a buyer. And since most buyers are searching for turn-key homes, calling out the fact that a pre-inspection has already been completed and issues have been addressed may help sell your home faster.
Related: The ins and outs of a pre-listing inspection
Stage to sell
Remember when your mother used to say “a place for everything and everything in it’s place” when you were younger? Who knew she was actually giving sage advice you’d need to recall as you prep to sell your home?!
Cut down the clutter by boxing up items not essential to what you might need to continue living in your home comfortably. You’ll need to make sure buyers can envision themselves living in your home when they tour it, so make sure to remove personal items while you show your home. Make a cleaning schedule and stick to it. You never know when you might receive a frantic phone call from a Realtor whose client desperately wants to see your home.
In addition to removing clutter, don’t forget to stage every single room in your home. If you have a bonus space or a large garage, show it off! Buyers have a really hard time seeing a room’s full potential if it’s an empty space. Don’t be tempted to store boxes in closets or in your “junk room;” rent a storage unit for a couple of months if need be.
Once you’ve removed clutter, complete the staging process by painting the walls fresh neutral colors. Some of our favorite neutral colors that sell homes fast are Accessible Beige, Agreeable Gray, Oyster White and White Dove.
Related: How to stage your garage to enhance home value
Enhance your curb appeal
I’ve heard too many stories of would-be buyers driving up to a home for sale, only to speed away before ever stepping foot in the home, all because of a horrible first impression.
Make sure buyers make it past the front door by dedicating enough attention and detail to your home’s exterior. Strategically placed and well-maintained landscaping goes a long way towards ramping up your home’s outward appearance. Give your weathered trim and front door new life by applying a fresh coat of paint, and consider using a pressure washer to excavate dirt that’s taken up residence on your sidewalk, driveway and porches.
Related: The best paint colors to make your front door pop!
Be patient
We’ve all heard stories about houses that go on the market in the morning and are sold by the time dinner’s ready, and while this is certainly every seller’s dream timetable, this isn’t exactly the norm.
While it’s true that we’re still in a seller’s market, meaning there are more buyers than homes available, the median amount of time a home spends on the market in a major market like Charlotte, NC is around 31 days, which is an increase over last year. This number is measured from the time the for sale sign is planted in the yard to the moment the new buyers take ownership. This will of course fluctuate depending on a number of variables, and everything from inventory, location, condition, price and time of year can make time on market ebb or flow.
