The process of selling a home can be emotional, time-consuming and overwhelming. Before you decide to put your home on the market, it can be helpful to review the steps of the home selling process to ensure you feel prepared and confident as you prepare your home to go to market. If you’re planning on selling your home, read on for the timeline to sell a house.
Prepare your home to sell
Depending on the time of year you want to sell your home, there are some considerations to keep in mind. For example, if your goal is to list your home by the start of the spring selling season, typically early February, then it’s best to take exterior photos in the late summer, which can be six months prior. Taking exterior photos when the grass is green and lush and the leaves are still on the trees can significantly affect how a buyer perceives your home online.
Closer to when you plan to sell, assess your home with a pair of fresh eyes to determine the repairs that need to be made and hire painters to paint any spaces that need touch-ups or to create a more neutral space. This is also the time to make the repairs you’ve been delaying.
Learn about the local market
Research your local market to understand housing values, the amount of inventory available and how long homes have been on the market. This will help you feel comfortable with your asking price and give you an idea of how quickly you can expect your home to sell.
Contact a real estate agent
Investing time to find the real estate agent who is the right fit for you is worth the search. Working with an agent you trust and who is a good personality fit is key to a positive homebuying experience. Interviewing three agents will help you best assess who you want to work with. In addition, ask about the proposed marketing plans, their knowledge of the area, and to connect with references.
Clean and stage your home
Hiring a cleaning company and staging company to sell your home will ensure the house photographs well. High-quality photographs are essential to successfully selling a space, so the home should be presented well and ready to be photographed.
Review the marketing plan
As the seller, your real estate agent will create a marketing plan for your home. It should include how the agent will showcase your property and ensure it reaches the most appropriate buyers. Part of this plan should consist of showings and open houses.
Wait for the home appraisal and inspection
Once you accept an offer on the house, a home appraiser will come on behalf of the buyer’s mortgage lender to appraise the property. Also, a home inspector will come on behalf of the buyer to inspect the house.
Sign the closing documents
As the seller, you won’t need to attend the closing but must sign closing documents. Once the buyer closes on your home, the property is officially theirs.
