We understand that selling your home can feel overwhelming. After over 9 years in the industry, we have developed the ultimate home seller’s checklist to help you nail it every step of the way! From Day 1 to Closing Day, we got you covered. Let’s get started!
Before you List
Hire the right agent
When you are selling your largest asset, don’t you want an experienced professional by your side? Hiring the right listing agent pays off. Your agent should be a local market expert, who knows the ins and outs of the real estate market in your neighborhood. They will provide guidance on pricing, bring in professional photographers to showcase your home in the best light, market your listing to their network of buyer’s agents & potential buyers, coordinate showings, field incoming questions and offers, and negotiate on your behalf to get you top-dollar for your home. And that’s just the start!
There are tons of real estate agents out there, but how do you make sure you’ve hired the right one? Don’t be afraid to ask potential agents some questions to assess if they are a good fit. Here are a few question you may want to ask:
- How long have you been in business?
- Is real estate your full-time job?
- What is your marketing strategy for my home?
- Which neighborhoods do you usually work in?
- How often can I expect to be communicated with during the process?
Know what your home is worth.
There are tons of websites that can give you a rough idea of what your home is worth. Those websites base their number off of tax records and recent sales nearby. However, those websites don’t know about all of the renovations you’ve done or how beautiful the view is. Your agent should provide you with a CMA, or Comparative Market Analysis, that details what homes comparable to yours have sold for, and how your updates or renovations may add to the value.
Your agent will likely present you with a price or price range that they recommend listing for. There are a few different pricing strategies that you may want to consider- for example, listing just under value might bring in great traffic, and if enough buyers are interested, you might have a bidding war on your hands. (It’s important not to rely on a bidding war to get you to your desired price, though.)
Prepare to spend some money.
Whether it’s making repairs around your home or hiring a stager, preparing a home to sell may cost some cash upfront. Create a budget & have a plan in place in case there are some unexpected costs.
Prepare your home
Clean & Repair
Make necessary repairs around the home, like cracked tiles, loose hinges or door knobs, or replacing stained flooring. Do a deep cleaning to get rid of unwanted odors. Spruce up the landscaping to give a great first impression when potential buyers drive by your house.
Declutter
Pack away valuables & family affects, and make sure to secure any weapons. Since you’ll likely have strangers passing through your home when you aren’t there, it’s best to keep your valuables out of sight.
Declutter closets and store any large pieces of furniture that may make the home feel smaller than it is. A cluttered room feels smaller. So, to help potential buyers soak in the space, clear out any unnecessary pieces of furniture.
We always provide our clients with a detailed list of things they should do before listing photos or showings to make sure they are fully prepared.
Stage
Ask your agent if they think it would be worth it to hire a stager. They often can recommend a few companies, or they may recommend putting that money into a different project that would give a better return, like painting the walls a neutral color, for example.
List your home
Let the fun begin! One of the many perks of hiring a full-service agent is that they will take care of listing your home on the Multiple Listing Service. This is the database where all listed homes live. The MLS is the number 1 way to market your listing to buyers. 95% of home sales involve buyer agents who have access to the MLS. If the buyer’s agent doesn’t see your listing, the buyer likely won’t either. MLS listings get syndicated to Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Redfin, and hundreds of other websites, putting your listing directly in front of tons of potential buyers. Listings on the MLS are sold faster and for 17% more than those that were not on the MLS.
For some agents, this is where the marketing ends. When you list with the Ideal Puget Sound Homes team, however, we take it a step further. We promote your listing in our email newsletter that gets delivered to over 2200 potential buyers. We use social media advertising to increase interest in your listing, in addition to posting your home on our company social channels. We’ve used our resources to have our listings featured on websites like Seattle Met. Be sure your agent goes above and beyond to make your listing debut a success!
While your home is on the market
This is often the hardest part for sellers- the waiting game. It’s important to keep up with keeping the home clean & smelling fresh. Work with your agent to set parameters around when showings can happen. We know it can sometimes be a little disruptive to your routine, but staying flexible is key to getting your home under contract quickly. Here are some easy ways you can keep your home at it’s best:
- Make the bed daily.
- Take the trash out often.
- Put your things away as you go.
- Have somewhere to go -a family member or friend’s home- if the home is shown last minute.
Stay in the loop
Keep in touch with your real estate agent and touch base often. We update our clients at least once a week, even if there’s nothing to report. Ask your agent for feedback they may have received from the buyer’s agent after a showing. Maybe the buyer noticed water stains on the ceiling or an odd smell in the garage. A simple fix could be the trick to getting your home sold.
Once you accept an offer
Congratulations! You have accepted an offer and you are now under contract. On the seller side of the transaction, there’s typically not a whole lot to do, besides start packing. Here’s what will happen between now and closing:
- Sign paperwork. There may be extra addendums to sign throughout the transaction. If you are unsure of what you’re signing, don’t hesitate to ask your agent for clarification.
- Prepare for the home inspection. The buyers likely will hire an inspector to take a close look at the home. No home is perfect, so the inspector will likely find a few things that they call out in their report. The buyer has the option to ask for those items to be repaired prior to closing, and you can either perform the repairs, propose an alternative solution, or reject the request. Your agent will be there to help guide you through this process, and negotiate on your behalf, so no need to stress.
- Prepare for the appraisal. If the buyer is financing their purchase, the lender will send an appraiser to your home to determine the value of the home. If the report comes back at value, you are good to go! It may also come back below value, which means that the lender will only lend to the appraised amount. You and the buyer will need to come to an agreement on price- whether that means they find the extra money, or you lower the price of the home. Again, your agent will be there to help you through all of these situations. That’s the whole reason you hired them!
Closing
The Escrow company that has been handling your transaction will call you to arrange your signing. Be sure to listen carefully to their instructions and bring all required documents, like your photo ID, keys, final bills, etc. After signing the paperwork, you will wait to hear that you are clear to close & your sale will be recorded with the county.
Make sure you are fully moved out by the time the sale is complete. The home should be broom-swept, and all personal items need to be removed from the home. Leave behind anything that was contracted to be left with the home- things like washer & dryers, large appliances, etc.
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And that’s everything! This is a long list, so keep this page handy as you go. With all of your tasks in one place, and hopefully a stellar agent by your side, you’ll be breezing through the selling process with ease!
Have questions? Give us a call at (253) 237-2673 or send us an email at [email protected] to connect with one of our agents.