Thinking about selling your home? I have created a pre-listing checklist with items to consider before listing your home for sale. This list will help you get your home in the best possible condition and ultimately increase its appeal to potential buyers. The more effort you put in now, the more $$$ in your pocket later!
- Choose a real estate agent: Work with a real estate agent who has connections in your area and who can help you navigate the entire process of listing and selling your home. You want someone well-connected in the market and someone who has a marketing strategy high above the rest. I have a secret weapon when it comes to marketing, if you are curious you’ll have to reach to find out!
- Hire a professional to do a pre-listing inspection: This will save a lot of time and energy to address items before the buyer conducts their own home inspection. You want to avoid a 55-page report for any buyer If we know about something ahead of time, we can address it upfront and price accordingly. No one likes surprises during the home-selling process!
- Make any necessary known repairs or updates you have been staring at for months.. *cough, cough* or years…. If you can see it, so will the buyer and they will try to squeeze all they can out of you. This could include fixing leaky faucets, painting touch ups, or replacing that old appliance that has never worked properly. Don’t let the buyer wonder if you have been taking care of the home just because the stairwell walls are all covered in Sharpie and the closet door knob is a spoon.. Yes, I've seen it all.
- Declutter and depersonalize: Here comes the stager in me. Remove excess clutter and personal items from your home to make it look more spacious and neutral. You are planning to move anyway, start the packing process. PURGE your little heart out. Nothing should be on the counter, family photos should be taken down, and your furniture should stay minimal. This will help potential buyers envision themselves living in the space.
- Clean: Hire a professional to deep clean your home. For my clients, I take care of that bill to ensure the level of cleanliness.
- Stage: Lucky for my clients I Co-Own a Staging company, Hyer Home, so I will help you present your home in the best possible light. The home will be photo ready, whether that be from partial, light, or full staging! Check out our portfolio Here.
- Gather documents and information: Prepare a list of important documents and information about your home, such as receipts of any big systems you have replaced, the age of the roof, the type/brand of heating and cooling system, and any recent renovations. I provide my clients with an easy questionnaire to gather the relevant information needed to go live!
- Have a best-case scenario in your mind and express that with your agent. That could be regarding price, moving date, or repairs. For example, maybe you don't have space for that big sofa in your next house and it would be convenient to leave it for the new buyer. We could use that tool in our toolbox while negotiating. Or you want new TV’s in your new home anyway so no need to remove the tv mounts and leave holes in the wall, again we can use this to our advantage while we negotiate. Now, in this life, you won’t get everything you want, BUT the more you share with me, your agent, the more I can try to make your life that much more convenient!
When hiring a professional in any industry, their job is to take away the stress of that job, which is exactly what I would be able to do for you during this process! If you're thinking about selling a home in Charleston, I would love the opportunity to meet with you and come up with a custom marketing strategy to show your home in the best light possible!
