On the third page of our main report, you will see some excellent home selling advice on why hiring a mortgage specialist is a very important and affordable thing you should do when you are selling a home by owner.

First Steps To Take When Preparing To Sell Your Home

Are you prepared to sell your home? What you need to know before you put your house on the market.

You recently made the decision to sell your home, Congratulations! Now what? Before you place the "For Sale" sign in the front yard there are steps required to ensure the sale of your house. Many well-intentioned sellers are more than ready to sell their house but they haven't taken the first steps to prepare for it. And in this marketplace, those first steps are critical. So before you actually list your house, you will need to do some planning. Here are a few steps you will want to take and items you will want to address.

1. Prepare yourself emotionally to sell your home.
This may be the most important step you take. It's so easy for a seller to have an emotional attachment to their home, especially if they have lived in that house for many years. This can be a great deterrent to a potential buyer. Whether you are aware of it or not, you may be sending signals to a buyer that this is your home. You need to start looking at the house as no longer yours and just another item to sell. Visualize yourself handing over the keys to a buyer. Tell yourself that this is simply a business transaction and make a mental decision to let go of every room and every aspect of the house. By doing this, you will give yourself a great advantage over other sellers.

2. Learn the right way to price your home.
Pricing your house right is crucial and will save you a lot of time and frustration down the road. Before you set a price, you will need to understand how to price your house appropriately. Now, this doesn't mean that you under price it significantly - it means you price it competitively and at the right economic value. How do you do this? One way is to search for a list of comparables in your area. Comparables are houses that are similar in build, square-footage, style and location to your house. This will give you a good idea where to begin when pricing your home. Remember how we placed, "Prepare yourself emotionally to sell the house" as the number one step to take? There is a reason for that. If you are emotionally attached to your house, you will see it as worth more than it really is and subsequently overprice it.

3. Consider having a professional inspection.
Although a professional inspection will cost you a little money upfront, it can save you a lot of money and a few headaches in the long run. Have a certified inspector look through the house for any unseen defects or issues that may not come to the surface until closing time. Red flags that come up for potential buyers when they conduct their own inspection can be a deal breaker. You want to make sure you take this initial step so there are no "surprises" later when it matters for the sale.

4. Get informed.
This step involves doing some homework. You will want to get your hands on as much information as you can on how to sell your house effectively. Really become a student of the real estate market and understanding how it works. After you do this, you will need to decide whether it is more advantageous for you to sell the house yourself or hire a real estate agent. If you do decide to use an agent, make sure you interview a few in your area. Have a list of questions ready for when you sit down with each agent.

5. Declutter, Depersonalize and Deodorize.
You really aren't prepared to sell your house until you declutter it. Nothing sends a potential buyer running faster than a house full of your stuff! Remember, you want the buyer to visualize the house as their own. So the decluttering and depersonalizing steps go hand in hand. Remove all non-essentials from each room, keep all countertops clear (especially in the kitchen), remove toys and knickknacks and store away personal items including all family photos. If you have a lot of decluttering to do, consider renting a storage unit or better yet, have a garage sale and donate what doesn't sell.

Another step that goes along with decluttering and depersonalizing is deodorizing. Your home should shine before you put it on the market. Some basics for your list of cleaning "do's" include: window washing, spray down sidewalks and decks, re-caulk, regrout and repaint, vacuum daily, dust furniture and fixtures and replace old towels and rugs. Also, make sure your home is free of any disdainful odors. If you have pets, you may want to consider relocating them until your home is sold and get rid of unwanted odors they leave behind.

With these first steps in place, not only will you will be prepared to sell your home but you will also be positioned for the best outcome possible and ensure that the next sign you place in your yard is a "SOLD" sign.

Thank you to Tonia Roemer for this "Preparing for Selling Your Home" article.

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