The big sale: a checklist for selling your home

Before undergoing the lengthy and often stressful process of selling your home, it is important to take the necessary measures to ensure you’ll achieve the highest possible revenue for your property. Taking the time to examine your options means that you could really boost your profits — you just have to make a little extra effort.

First of all, you should really get informed. Read as much as you can about what’s involved with the house-selling process, from using estate agents to how best to show your home to maximise your price. The more you know, the more able you’ll be to contend with everything that comes up during the selling process. Knowledge brings confidence, which will help the various stages run more smoothly for you.

You’ll need to decide whether you’re going to sell your home through an estate agent or not. Agents will do all of the complicated stuff for you which is incredibly handy, as the home-selling market is complicated. However, if you feel capable of taking care of the sale yourself, it will mean a saving on fees.

Whether you sell through your agent or by yourself, you’ll need to price your home. Be wary of overpricing — one of the biggest mistakes a seller can make is to price too high. The estate market is highly competitive and you are unlikely to benefit from asking for too much. More prospective buyers will be interested in your property if it is seen as affordable or even a bargain!

If you are using an agent, once you’ve contracted them and have decided on the selling price, your house is ready to be listed — in theory, anyway. Value can increase drastically if you look to spruce your home up a bit first. Remember that first impressions are the most important and a poorly-presented exterior can put people off — even before they’ve stepped inside. If you have any cracks, chipped paintwork, a rust-bucket car or anything that makes your house look less appealing than it could, get it fixed — even if it means parking your vehicle around the corner for a while! The first sight of your home will stay with prospective buyers, so make sure it’s a good one.

As for the interior, repair anything that needs fixed and clean the place from top to bottom. Declutter: you want your home to look like what people dream about, and most people are attracted to tidy, neat places, so getting rid of unwanted or unnecessary clutter is a must. Now’s a great time to make a little extra cash by finally getting rid of everything you don’t need but keep around because you can’t be bothered to donate, sell or dump it.

Now that your home is in the viewing stages, hopefully the offers will start coming in. You’re almost there! Be prepared to discuss with potential buyers such things as the area, monthly cost estimates and home insurance premiums, and to negotiate to a price you’re both happy with.

Hopefully the extra work you put in will pay off when it comes to sealing the deal. And finally, you can relax knowing you’ve made a good sale.

Paul McIndoe writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.