What to Expect When Selling Your First Home

Written by Posted On Monday, 24 April 2017 10:21
  • For many people, buying their first home is an exciting time. However, just because you buy a home does not mean you will live in it forever. People’s lives change over the course of time, and that often necessitates the need to move to new places. National Association of Home Buyers suggest that a family typically lives in a house for 13 years before moving out.
  • While buying your first home can be stressful, selling it years later can also be a scary prospect. However, you can put your fears at ease by learning more about the process before you put your home up for sale. Here are some things you should know.
  • You May Need a Real Estate Agent
  • It is true that you can sell your home without the assistance of real estate agent. However, if you are a first time seller, this is probably a very unwise idea. You may make significant mistakes and end up losing more money on the sale than you should have. Alternatively, the home may not attract any buyers at all.
  • An agent will want 5 to 6 percent of the sale price in commission. While that may seem like a hefty price to pay, the agent’s services can help insure you get the best offers for your home possible to help make up for the added expense. The agent can help set a competitive price to insure your home sells for a reasonable amount quickly. A competitively priced home can sell in as little as 10 to 20 days. He or she can also interact with buyers directly and insure you don’t have to waste time with people who are not actually serious about buying your home.
  • If you decide to take the FSBO route, there are also things to consider, such as the costs you might save as opposed to hire a real estate agent, but also the extra effort and time on your part in order to get your home sold.
  • Open Houses Are Important
  • One of the most successful strategies for selling a home quickly is to hold an open house. However, you can’t do that until your home is presentable to the public. This is why it’s a poor decision to put a home up for sale before it’s actually been made ready for a showing.
  • The house should be cleaned until it’s immaculate. Clutter should be removed. You may even want to do some minor home improvement projects to get it up to snuff. Giving your walls a new coat of paint may be an excellent idea in regards to getting your home to look as new as possible. The agent will then hold two open houses on the weekend to insure as much traffic is produced as possible. The first open house will be one for brokers. The second open house, which typically takes place on Sunday, will be for the general public. If all goes well, you will sell the home shortly afterwards.
  • The Internet Is Integral
  • Something else that is vitally important to selling a house in the modern era is the internet. US News suggests that 80 percent of home shoppers use the internet when looking for a new home to buy. An internet listing could attract people from all over the country.
  • Your online listings are very important to hooking in buyers. Make sure to spend a good deal of time on perfecting your listings. The images supplied should make the home look very attractive. If there is a lack of attractive photos on the listing, internet users may assume there are good reasons for that and avoid visiting the property to get their own look. The text portion of the listing must do as good of a job convincing readers that your home has plenty to offer. Make sure you list everything your home has and describe those features flatteringly. Forgetting to list that your kitchen has a marble counter-top, for example, could lose you a sale.
  • Overall, selling a home can seem like a scary prospect. However, if you are prepared and implement the right real estate services, it can be a very quick and painless process. Make sure to put in the proper effort.
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Sofia Belnap

Sophia is passionate about writing in the real estate and home improvement spaces. When Sophia is not writing she loves reading, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

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