What should you be thinking about as a Seller?
You have some choices as a Seller. You get to pick your 1) Realtor 2) What condition your house will be in when you list 3) The final list price 4) When and how you will show your house and 5) What contract you end up accepting. However, there are also things you can NOT choose such as the location and what the market looks like when you are listing. All these things should be considered when coming up with the best plan for your home and setting realistic expectations for the process. In the meantime, here are some things you can do to start the process.
- Do you have receipts for larger purchases in your home like appliances, furnaces, water heaters, etc? Did you decommission your oil tank? When and from who? Start collecting paperwork from the work you have done. Make a list of the improvements you have made since you owned it with dates if possible.
- Do you have a dream timeline in mind? Statistically, spring is a great time to put your house on the market. Is there any flexibility in your timeframe?
- Have you had an appraisal in the last few years because of a refinance or HELOC application.
The sooner you start the conversation, the better your process will be. If you are even thinking about the idea of selling, talk to a real estate agent, talk to 3. You don’t need to have anything prepared before you take that step. A phone or face to face conversation is the best way to start. Email may save you time, but selling your home is a personal thing and it is important that the person you choose to work with is someone you feel comfortable with. You will spend a lot of time with them and you will need to trust them because there are easy conversations and less easy conversations, so work with someone you want to be in those situations with. Good luck!
