There are a million different reasons why people sell their homes, but every seller has one thing in common: the desire to get as much money as possible from their existing residence as quickly and as hassle-free as possible. (If your home is your principal residence, you won't have to pay capital gains tax on any profits from the sale. If, on the other hand, it is an investment property, prepare for the tax man!)
Before you begin the selling process, really evaluate why you're moving. Do you have too few rooms, or too many? Has your job moved to another city and you're relocating? Are the neighbours driving you away? Or are you simply looking for a change? A complete analysis of your current position will set a good foundation for your next home hunt.
Your sales representative is a trained professional who knows all aspects of the real estate market. A sales representative will save you time, money and aggravation.
As with purchasing a home, you want to list with the sales representative who is the expert in your location. After all, potential purchasers will be calling this same "area expert" to inquire about houses for sale. There will be a few sales representatives who are knowledgeable about your neighbourhood. Call them up and interview them. You need to feel comfortable with him or her, after all, they will be working for you.
It simply makes sense to clean up both the interior and exterior of your home before listing it for sale. But that doesn't mean you have to undertake major home renovation projects on order to sell your home. With a little effort you can increase the perceived value of your home by a great margin.
Here are some simple things to keep in mind that you can do to increase the perceived value of your home and make the perfect first impression.
Closing is a time of packing and organization. Be sure you do not pack anything that you agreed to sell! Unless you specifically mentioned certain fixtures, everything must remain in place.
You are responsible for handing over the home in the same condition it was at the time of closing. This applies to everything that was in the agreement. If the home suffers a major disaster, you are responsible for telling the buyer, at which point the buyer may walk away from the deal and have the deposit returned. The buyer may also choose to close and receive any insurance proceeds. In this unfortunate event, remember not to make any repairs until you find out what the buyer wants to do.