Selling your house can be as simple as accepting an off-market cash offer or as complex as spending months cleaning, renovating, and negotiating to make your home move-in-ready and maximize the sale price. Most home sellers choose somewhere in the middle based on their budget, their schedule, and the state of the market. Before you choose your strategy, it’s important to know how to sell a house the “typical” way so you can make an informed decision. Scan this ultimate checklist to sell your house, so you can decide between the longer traditional route and selling your house as-is.
Preparing Your Home for Market
Preparing your home for the market starts with evaluating its condition and comparing it to recently sold homes in your neighborhood, then bringing it up to comparable condition so it can sell for a similar price. These changes might include:
- Making repairs and minor touch-ups (such as fixing a drippy sink or painting your siding around your patio)
- Making updates (such as installing new modern lighting fixtures)
- Making major upgrades (such as renovating your kitchen or bathrooms with new tile, fixtures, cabinets, and lights)
- Simply cleaning and decluttering if your home is already comparable to recently sold homes
Whether you’re making upgrades and adjustments or not, one of the most important to-dos is deep cleaning your home, inside and outside. This prepares it for professional photography and open homes, both of which are critical for making a great first impression.
During this window, you or your real estate agent will also prepare the listing and marketing. This includes creating a listing with photos and your property details to post online. You might also gather up all your warranties and receipts for any improvements you made so homebuyers can see what they’re buying in more detail.
Staging
Staging is technically optional, but it can make a big difference. Done right, it can boost the sales price by up to 10%. It often also reduces the time you spend on the market. Good staging makes all the spaces seem bigger and brighter, and it shows buyers how the home can look when they move in. But not all homes benefit that much from staging, and the time and expense can make it a gamble.
Under Contract: Inspection to Appraisal
Getting your home under contract can feel like the finish line, but it’s also the start of a whole new journey that can last around a month. Here are the steps you’d follow in the conventional process of how to sell a house:
- Wait for the buyer’s final decision during the inspection period. Over the next week or so, the buyer will hire a general inspector and specialists such as plumbers, foundation repair techs, or roofers to look into the property’s details. They can choose to walk away, open negotiations through a contract amendment, or stay in the deal as-is.
- Make negotiated changes. You might be required to make repairs, schedule maintenance and tune-up services, or adjust the sales price depending on the outcome of the inspection period and any negotiated changes.
- Wait for the appraisal. The buyer’s lender will need to process the loan and, as part of that process, schedule an appraisal. A third-party appraiser will evaluate the property on paper and (usually) in person to ensure that the home’s value, based on its location, structure, and condition, is at least equal to the loan amount. If it doesn’t pass, the loan can’t proceed.
Contact Us at Joe Homebuyer Sacramento to Learn More About Selling Your Home
Selling your home the traditional way is a long process, and understanding the details step-by-step can help you streamline the schedule, avoid common risks, and walk away with the right amount of cash. At Joe Homebuyer Sacramento, we help prospective sellers in Sacramento understand what to expect before their home goes on the market and help them explore fast, as-is cash options. Reach out today to learn more about how to sell a house as-is or with staging and improvements.
Image credit: // Shutterstock // Andy Dean Photography