Are you also curious about how to sell a home? Most home sellers want the home selling process to be quick and reliable. It is often daunting to find a buyer for a house with the best desirable deal. The ideal scenario is to list their homes, get the perfect offer they want, collect money in cash or an account, and hand over the home keys without much hassle. If the process of selling a home was that simple and steady! Reality check: selling a home includes moving parts, some in control and some out of your hands.
For example, if your property is in a location where competition is high or maybe low, you might want to sell it quickly. Moreover, now the mortgage rates have also created an extra layer for buyers. Similarly, there are many more challenges in buying and selling properties. If you are wondering how to sell your property in 2025 market conditions, read this guide till the end.
9 Essential Steps To Selling a Home
As a seller, it is good to be prepared and control the factors you can, such as hiring a good real estate agent and enhancing the online appeal. Let’s see what the essential 9 steps are you must follow.
1. Set a Timeline
Selling a house is not like it is done in the blink of an eye; it can take months to finish depending on local market conditions. So, you must plan and stay organised during the selling process. You should consider a pre-sale home inspection for two or three months before listing it. This is useful for you to have a smooth selling process ahead especially if you have old property.
This alerts you beforehand about any issues in your house and you can repair them before listing it for sale. If you don’t do it, the buyers will carry on their inspection, and they will filter your home out if it has many unknown issues.
A month before listing your property, start cleaning it to get the best listing photos. Show your home in the best light and move access items to a storage unit.
2. Find a Trusted Real Estate Agent
Now, the internet makes it very easy to search for the best real estate agents. Look up the profiles of real estate agents online to learn about their experience and their credibility. Read about how many sales they have closed and what professional designations they have earned throughout the years.
Pay close attention to how agents market their listings and whether they are professional and updated or not. If the agent has any designation they earned, it means they have taken time to learn about their niche.
Important: Some homeowners might think that they can escape paying a commission by selling their home themselves, without agents. This approach can be effective if you have enough experience selling your house. Keep in mind that you must consult an agent for better guidance but you can always negotiate the fees.
3. Determine What to Repair and What to Upgrade
Before you decide on spending your money on costly upgrades in your house, ensure that the changes you make will have a high return on investment. Ensure all the upgrades and repairments are necessary for the better price of the house.
Keep in mind that fresh paint and spruced-up landscaping are less costly but give a better first impression. You can update the kitchen and bathrooms because these often give the highest return on investment.
4. Set a Realistic Price
No buyer wants to pay more than what the market is offering and it is crucial to get the right and fair pricing. Going too high can also backfire because no one will buy a house at the high price of what it is actually worth
The biggest mistake sellers can make is to price a home too high and then lower its price periodically. Also, homes with multiple prices in the past also give fishy vibes to the buyers so avoid doing this and consult an expert to give a realistic price to your home.
5. Top-Quality Listing Photos
The first thing your appointed agent will do is hire a photographer and get nice photos of your house for a better online presence. Get professional photos by hiring a professional photographer to make rooms as attractive as possible.
You must focus on the online appeal and stage the home by removing excess furniture, unwanted items and personal belongings. Evacuate your personal belongings or any personal things. It will help the buyer to imagine themselves in the home when they visit your home.
6. Review and Negotiate Offers
Once buyers have inspected your home and seen it thoroughly, you will ideally get some offers to consider. If you have a real estate agent, he will be your advocate and also help you to consider the best option. If your area where home demands are low, then you might have to reconsider the options and also be open for negotiations.
Tip: You might want to go for the highest-paying offer but don’t fall for their prey and consider other aspects of the offer as well. Consider the form of payment, type of financing, contingencies, down payment amount, concession request and proposed closing date.
7. Consider Closing Costs and Tax Implications
Buying a home is not like buying a new pair of jeans from the nearest mart. In any real estate transaction, both parties must pay at least some closing costs. One type of cost is that when you have hired an agent, you will give 2-2.5% or more to the agent as a commission. This set amount of commission to the agent depends on your prior negotiation.
Some other closing costs paid by the seller are title fees and transfer tax costs. If your home has a mortgage, then the seller is responsible for clearing that out as well.
8. Hire a Real Estate Attorney
In some states, you might have to hire a real estate attorney to close a sale without any legal trouble. It is important to spend some money on the fees of an attorney rather than becoming a victim of any fraud. If your state does not require you to hire an attorney, you must hire one for the safety and security of large transactions.
Your attorney can ensure proper and accurate paperwork and confirm all the disclosures are provided. The contract conditions are fulfilled and all the issues are resolved.
9. Gather all the Paperwork and Close the Deal
There is always lots of paperwork after you make a deal for a home sale. It is your responsibility to organise the paperwork and also keep it secure for future references and proofs. Your real estate agent will help you gather all the main documents you will require. Some of the essential documents are the following:
- Original purchase contract
- Property survey
- Certificate of occupancy and certificate of compliance with local codes
- Mortgage documents
- Tax records
- Mortgage documents
- Appraisal from your home purchase
- Homeowner insurance
- Home inspection report and seller’s disclosure statement
Wrap up
At this stage, bring all the paperwork, payment of any fees and the keys to your house and give them to the new owners for the closing. Once everything is signed and handed over, your house sale is closed. Now, you have a proper list of how you are going to prepare for your best home sale. Carefully research and consult experienced and well-reputed real estate developers before making your first sale. Good Luck!
