Preparing To Sell Your Home (6 Month Plan)
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Tips to sell your home within six months
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Tips to sell your home within six months
If you’re thinking of moving, we’ve laid out a great six-month strategy for to help you prep your home to sell! There’s a lot of work that goes into selling your home, from choosing the right time to dusting the cobwebs out of that third bedroom you’ve been “meaning to get around to cleaning.” We speak from experience because we’ve been there, that’s why we’ve helped ease the process of selling with these tips and tricks!
Decide on your (listing) timeframe
Whether you’re in a pickle and need to sell quickly or if you have months and months to plan, moving is never considered “fun” by any stretch of the imagination. But if you are one of the lucky ones (that has enough time to prep), then you can manage your checklist with ease. By deciding on your timeframe, you’ll be able to prep for success. Studies show that selling in the spring and particularly listing your home on a Saturday is “best.”
Contact your agent
This should automatically be your next step once you decide on a good timeframe for your family. Contacting your agent to give him or her a heads up that you are thinking of moving will get the ball rolling on their end and provide you with sound advice on next steps.
Assess the market
This kind of research can be done online or even by utilizing your Realtor® (they are the expert in this market, after all). You can also call on other websites that are reporting daily on the industry, so whether you’re in the initial phase or about to put your home on the market going to websites like the MLS, Realtor.com, Trulia or Zillow could provide some decent insight.
Deep clean and deep declutter
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” That has to be true somewhere right? Going through your home and decluttering/purging/de-hoarding this far in advance will take a big weight off of your to-do list. Since you’re ahead of the game and it’s so early in the process, you’re able to get rid of things you don’t need to open up your home again. Perks of this include being able to see what needs to be cleaned and potential homebuyers won’t look at the knick-knacks and chachkies you’ve been holding onto for far too long!
A focus on paint and curb appeal
Whether you’re more of a Sherwin Williams “Agreeable Grey” or “Urbane Bronze,” whatever the color of your liking is – it’s never too early to start touching it up around the house. Most people enjoy the smell of fresh new paint on the walls and it covers up any old marks that might have found themselves on there, double whammy. Tending to your outdoor appeal is also an easy fix that goes a long way. The outside of your home is a potential homebuyers first impression, so let’s make a lasting one! We wrote an entire article on this, check it out here! We hope that these tips and tricks to help you prepare your home to sell help, don’t forget we know a thing or two about the industry. Let’s get you pre-qualified so you can put that house up on the market and find your brand new home!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chances are, if you're wondering about it, someone else has too. Here are answers to some of the questions we hear most often.
Most sellers benefit from starting preparations three to six months before they plan to list, though the right timeline depends on how much work the home needs and local market conditions. Early tasks like decluttering, minor repairs, and researching your local market can be spread out over several months, while touch-up paint and staging are best handled closer to your listing date. Starting early gives you more flexibility and helps avoid a last-minute scramble. A real estate agent can help you build a timeline that fits your specific home and goals.
A good first step is deciding on a general timeframe for listing your home, since that decision shapes everything else, from when to contact your agent to how quickly you'll need to declutter and make repairs. Once you have a rough timeframe, reaching out to a real estate agent early is a smart next step, even if you're still months away from listing, since they can offer guidance based on current conditions in your area. From there, decluttering and researching your local market are natural next priorities. See what else factors into the true cost of selling a home.
Spring has traditionally been considered a strong season to list a home, partly due to buyer demand and better curb appeal from blooming landscaping, but the best time to sell can vary by local market and year-to-year conditions. Rather than relying on a single rule of thumb, it's worth researching current trends in your specific area or asking a local real estate agent what timing tends to work best. Factors such as interest rates, local inventory, and buyer demand often matter more than the general season. Learn the difference between a buyer's market and a seller's market.
Fresh paint is one of the most cost-effective updates before listing, since it covers wear and tear and helps a home feel move-in ready. Beyond paint, it's worth walking through your home and addressing obvious deferred maintenance, such as leaky faucets, damaged flooring, or outdated fixtures, that could raise questions during a buyer's walkthrough or inspection. A real estate agent can help you prioritize which repairs are likely to affect your sale price versus which ones aren't worth the investment. See how touch-ups also boost your screen appeal in online listing photos.
Curb appeal plays a major role in a buyer's first impression, since it's often the very first thing they see, whether they're driving by or scrolling through listing photos online. Simple updates like fresh landscaping, a tidy entryway, and updated exterior paint can make a noticeable difference in how a home is perceived before a buyer even walks inside. Because photos are often a buyer's first exposure to a listing, curb appeal affects both in-person impressions and how a listing performs online. See 5 simple curb appeal ideas that help homes sell.
Getting pre-qualified before listing your current home can help you understand your budget for your next home and move more confidently once your home sells. It also helps you plan your timeline, since knowing what you can afford can shape decisions about your next home search. A Mortgage Banker can walk you through your options and help you understand how selling your current home may affect your next purchase. See the difference between pre-qualification, pre-approval, and conditional approval.