How To Get The Most Money For Your Home

Research
Begin by estimating your home’s value. Research the local market conditions before meeting with a listing agent. Refresh your knowledge of the market as conditions may have changed since your last purchase. The goal is to align your and your agent’s understanding of your home’s value. You may agree or feel disappointed with the current market, but the research will aid in creating a realistic selling strategy with your listing agent.

Mortgage
Check the mortgage. You may have a rough idea on how much you owe on the house. Before meeting your listing agent, pull your mortgage loan documents and turn that estimate into an exact figure.

Having this information at hand can be very helpful in the planning for the sale of your house. For example, if you owe more than what the value of the property is going for you may be underwater. Selling a short sale is completely different than selling a home with equity in it.

Liens and Disputes
Identify any liens, disputes or issues with your current property. The easiest property to sell is unencumbered property. The more information you can give your agent in advance about things that can hold up a sale the better they can prepare and strategize. Agents usually want to deal with this before your property hits the market.

Try to remember any tax issues, disputes you have had with contractors or other issues that could have allowed a creditor to put a lien on the house. Be up front about disputes you may have with your neighbors regarding property lines because it is easier to settle those problems before listing your property. If you are selling a home that belonged to a relative who has passed away, make sure the house has a clean title before contacting an agent.

Cleaning The House
It should really go without saying that you want your listing agent to walk into a clean home. The inside of the home is just as important as the outside. Curb appeal is major, you want the agent to have the best impression of your home so that when they start marketing it, they will be able to ask the most money for your home. You want to show your home to the world as neat and beautiful as possible, cut the grass, clean the gutters and make sure that anything you can do to impress the agent and any potential buyers is done.

Analyze Your Schedule
In many cases sellers may have to make small changes to their original routine during the listing process. It all comes down to scheduling and planning but a listing agent needs to know your level of flexibility in order to make the listing work!

Ask Questions
You have heard the saying “you can never ask the wrong question”. This is correct. You should ask every single question about the process that comes into your mind. There is always plenty of help for buyers and sellers. As a professional sales agent and as a person who understands the pains of selling a property I want you to call me for any and all of your questions or concerns regarding the lease, sale or purchase of a property. I promise that if I can’t help you I will definitely point you in the right direction.