Selling a home is not a one size fits all timeline. However, we can all refer to a similar order of operations to ensure the smoothest home selling process possible. This article will help you understand what to expect when you’re selling your home.
1. Assess your home
Are there any repairs you need to make, large or small to make your home either more marketable or ready to pass inspection? This could be anything from replacing the water heater to reinforcing a front porch railing for safety. Maybe it means a fresh coat of paint. We’ve got a few suggestions for easy upgrades to prepare to sell your home here.
2. Hire a Real Estate Professional
This might be the most important part of your home selling journey. A great realtor is going to help you through the entire process, making sure that this timeline goes smoothly for you and as close to your desired pace as possible. Look for someone with experience in your market. The Austin Moyer Team at Coldwell Banker Custom Realty is here to help you in the Greater Rochester.
3. Find your home’s value
Finding out your home’s value is one of the first tasks your real estate agent can help you with. While there are many online tools to help you ball park the estimate, it’s important to gain an accurate and professional assessment so that you can prepare your listing. We’ll come to an accurate price by considering the home’s condition, location, and compare the recent sales of similar homes in your area.
4. Get Photo Ready
This means tidy up, make minor repairs, and stage your home for peak admiration. Soon, your real estate professional will take pictures and help you prepare for an open house if necessary. When you’re selling a home, you want to make your home feel clean and welcoming to potential buyers. Your agent will take high quality pictures that best represent the home and attract buyers.
5. Your Agent Creates the Listing
Now that you’ve beautified your home and your real estate agent has taken pictures, it’s time for your agent to create the listing. Your agent will post the photos and highlight the best features of your home to attract potential buyers. This is a great opportunity to add details around the home itself, the community including the school district and walkability for example. An experienced agent will know what kind of details to add to catch the attention of prospective buyers. When you’re looking to hire a real estate agent, take a look at their previous and existing listings to get a sense of their attention to detail.
6. It’s Time to Receive Offers
Once your home is listed, you’ll start receiving offers–potentially within a couple of days! It all depends on the market. Your real estate agent will use their expertise to help you to set your expectations on timeline as well as quality of offers. This is also a time to consider negotiations, which your real estate professional will guide you through. When you are comparing offers, consider more than just the highest dollar bid.
7. You’ve selected an Offer–Now What?
Once you’ve accepted an offer, the buyer has an opportunity to order an inspection and appraisal. If they’re financing, they’ll seek an appraisal from their lender to be sure they’re getting a fair price for the condition of the home. This process is typically finished in less than one month.
8. Closing
This is the last paperwork step! Once the documents are signed, it’s almost done. If you received an all cash offer in New York State, it may still take about 30 days to close. If your buyer is using a lender to finance, this might take more time to finalize. These buying methods may have factored into your decision around which offer you accepted. You’re almost with the whole home selling process!
9. Moving Out
Congratulations! It’s time to move out and into your next dream home while a new person or family moves into yours. Once you close, you are expected to leave the property. Vacating the property also includes removing furniture and appliances, unless it was agreed that the buyer would keep them. Your home should be broom clean ready for the next person or family to move in with no issues.
Your best bet to move smoothly through the home buying process is to work with a real estate professional. With our expertise, we can be proactive and anticipate upcoming tasks to keep you on track to meeting your real estate goals. Get in touch! We look forward to helping you sell your home! Austin Moyer Team at Coldwell Banker Custom Realty or call 585-505-7012.