10 Things to do Before Selling Your First Home

MARCH 6, 2017

Ten Things to Do Before Selling Your First Home: Part 2

                                         In last week’s blog post, we shared with you five tips to get ready to sell your first home. Here are five additional tasks we recommend you complete before listing your house for sale with an experienced agent.

Estimate your timeline and budget. Your real estate agent can help you decide what to fix and what to leave alone to maximize your profit from the sale. While there’s no guarantee of how quickly your home will sell, an experienced agent can estimate how long it will be on the market and the profit from your sale so you can budget for your next home. Your agent also can help you evaluate market conditions and advise you whether to sell your home first and then buy a new property or vice versa.

Consult a lender. A lender can help you determine the best way to make the transition from one home to another. Depending on your assets and home equity, you may want to consider a bridge loan or opening a home equity line of credit on your current home before you put it on the market to use for a down payment on the next property.

Start packing. While you don’t want your house to be full of boxes when you put it on the market, you can start packing the contents of your closets, storage spaces and garage as early as you want. To showcase your home at its best, you’ll want to remove as much clutter as possible. Getting rid of possessions, donating them or packing them can jump-start that process. You may even want to rent a storage unit to hold excess stuff until you move.

Clean and repair and clean again. Making small repairs throughout your home, such as caulking your tub and replacing fixtures like worn-out door knobs, goes a long way to improving the appearance of your home. Deep clean yourself or hire professionals to get every surface sparkling, including your windows. Don’t forget to change your light bulbs and open or remove your window treatments to allow for the maximum light in your rooms.

Don’t forget curb appeal. No matter what season it is when you list your home, remember that first impressions count. Paint or replace your front door if it needs it, trim and neaten shrubs and flower beds, put down fresh mulch and add some color with a potted plant to entice visitors to come inside.