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Pre Sell Checklist
The Pre-Listing Home Selling Checklist: Get Your Home Ready for the Market
Selling a home is a significant life event that requires thorough planning and preparation. Your actions before listing your property can profoundly impact the speed of the sale and the price you ultimately receive. Here is a comprehensive pre-listing checklist to get your home market-ready.
1. Assess Your Finances
Review Mortgage Terms: Understand your current mortgage terms to determine any pre-payment penalties or if your mortgage is portable.
Estimate Selling Costs: Calculate the costs you will incur, including real estate agent commissions, staging, repairs, and other closing costs.
2. Research the Market
Check Neighborhood Comps: Look at similar properties in your neighborhood that have sold recently to get an idea of pricing.
Determine Market Conditions: Is it a buyer's or a seller's market? This will influence your pricing strategy.
3. Choose a Real Estate Agent
Interview Agents: Speak to multiple agents and ask about their marketing plan, fees, and track record.
Check References: Make sure to check reviews or ask for client references.
4. Home Inspection
Pre-inspection: Optional, but strongly recommended to preemptively catch any issues that might deter buyers.
List of Repairs: Create a list of essential repairs and improvements based on the pre-inspection.
5. Home Improvements
Minor Repairs: Fix small issues like leaky faucets, loose handles, and minor wall damage.
Major Repairs: Consider whether larger repairs, such as a new roof or HVAC system, will offer a good return on investment.
6. Declutter and Stage
Declutter: Remove personal items and unnecessary furniture to make your home appear more spacious.
Stage Your Home: Consider hiring a professional stager to arrange your home in a way that appeals to a broad audience.
Deep Clean: Hire professionals to clean carpets, wash windows, and ensure your home is spotless.
7. Curb Appeal
Exterior Cleanup: Keep lawns mowed, plant some flowers, and ensure the entryway is inviting.
Paint: A fresh coat of neutral paint inside and out can make a big difference.
8. Professional Photography
Hire a Photographer: Professional photos are essential in online listings to present your home in the best possible light.
Virtual Tour: A 360-degree virtual tour can offer an interactive experience for potential buyers.
9. Legal and Paperwork
Property Disclosures: Prepare a list of disclosures required by your jurisdiction, such as age of the home, any known defects, or past repairs.
Consult a Real Estate Lawyer: Preemptively deal with any legal matters that could arise during the selling process.
10. Final Touches
Replace or Clean Carpets: Stained or old carpets can be a turnoff for buyers.
Update Lighting: Consider upgrading outdated light fixtures to modernize the space.
Smell Test: Address any odors, especially pet-related, that could deter potential buyers.
By ticking off each item on this pre-listing home selling checklist, you'll be putting yourself in a strong position for a successful, stress-free sale. Each step prepares your home to look its best and attract the right buyers, setting the stage for a smoother transaction once you list your property.
Other Resources For Sellers
Top 10 High ROI Sellers Checklist:
If there was a way for you to get more value for your home without spending tons of $$$, effort and time? To see how my sellers get more money for their homes with these simple low cost hacks, click the link below for instant access to all my tips.
Tips Here ➡️ https://topnjrealtor.com/seller-tips
To Increase the value of your home, get these proven tips!
After over a decade of experience our team has perfected the highest ROI prep tips that mean more money in your pocket! Here is a quick checklist to get you started with prepping your home for sale. These tips are designed for high impact and low effort!
Don't get personal. It’s time to move out emotionally—and physically. Survey each room, and pack away personal items such as family photos, bric-a-brac, medicine, etc
Declutter and Update. Take out bulky furniture, old electronics; clear off desks, tabletops, shelves. Keep rooms (especially bedrooms) decluttered and minimal.
Paint a fresh perspective. Whites, neutral, pale grays, can make your house feel fresh and new again— and the buyer feel calm and at home.
Shed some light. Make sure every light bulb is energy- efficient, and at the highest wattage the light fixture will allow. Give all fixtures a deep clean for maximum sparkle.
For the rest of the checklist, https://topnjrealtor.com/seller-tips
Our 6 Step Buyers Process
Beginning your home search can be an overwhelming and daunting task. Because of that, our team makes sure that you, and all other potential buyers, understand each of the 8 steps that we take to make the process as easy and painless as possible. By the end of your search, with our support and guidance, you will live happily ever after in your new, dream home.
Financially Map Out Your Success
Our agents get to know you — Need to move for a job? Want a shorter commute? Getting married? Having a baby? Need to upgrade or downsize? At this stage in the process, we’ll send you notifications about the listings that you’re most likely to be excited about. Be sure to let us know if one (or more) jumps out at you so that we can skip to the next step and schedule a viewing. be there for you every step of the way.
Success for each person looks different. A growing family or new empty-nesters have different needs. Our goal is to map out your goals financially to get a good understanding of what you need in a home but also what makes the most sense for your specific situation - both from a time and money perspective.
Buyer Matching & Office Exclusives
We’ll introduce you to our mortgage partner, who can help you determine your buying price range with confidence. Be prepared to dig into paperwork during this part of the process such as pay stubs, W2’s, and tax returns. The lender will do a full review and then tell you what you will be able to borrow in order to purchase a home. This is a vital step in the home buying process!
During this process, we will be sending you some listings to evaluate and provide us with feedback. This helps us to understand, update and revise your criteria and preferences. Our agents are always super involved in the community so they can provide you with tons of information about the areas you are interested in. We will also use this information to setup notifications of listings to you and evaluate any office exclusives (homes that are not yet listed in the MLS) so you are the first to see the property.
Let the Showings Begin
Here’s where the buying process gets really fun! We’ll attend open houses together and schedule viewings of the homes that you’ve loved from our listing alerts. Many of our clients prefer us to consolidate to one day of searching or have specific times that work for them. We handle all the coordination so you just have to show up! We’ll talk about how the budget will work and make sure that we find you the perfect home.
Strategic Negotiations
When you’re ready to make an offer, your agent will present a written offer to the seller. We also present your offer using video to help make a bigger impact and showcase our commitment to the sale of the home. And while everyone loves getting their offer accepted right away, the seller could come back to us with a counteroffer, or reject your initial offer all together. We’re happy to walk you through each of these possibilities and exactly how to handle them. Once the offer is accepted, it’s time to get your financing in order and move forward to the next step!
Prep for Close
The sellers accepted your offer, and the home is going through appraisal and inspection. The appraisal guarantees that the price of the property matches the condition of the property while the inspection makes sure that everything in the home is functioning properly and there are no major issues inside. These are the last steps before the shiny keys to your home are placed in your hand... for good!
Segue to Your Next Chapter
Get excited because it’s time to close on your home! This process includes going through all of the final paperwork and signing your name (a lot!). Don't forget to bring all of the paperwork you’ve collected along the way and your down payment.
But we know it doesn't stop here. You likely have a lot to coordinate, movers, painters, handymen etc. We will help you to SEGue into your next chapter seamlessly. Even make some introductions to some neighbors! You can count on us!
Ready to find your dream home?
Let us help you make that happen!
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