Steps to Selling a Home

There are so many different reasons why you might want to sell your home. Your kids might have moved out, your family is growing, you want to downsize, you want something new, or you want to make a profit on your investment. Regardless of why you’re selling your home, your first question might be, “where do I start?”

Don’t worry, I have all the information you might need to get started. Having a knowledgeable real estate agent working by your side will make the entire selling process much less stressful. One of the top reasons you should hire a real estate agent to help you sell your home is because we are here to help you sell your home without an emotional tie, with the best marketing tactics, logic, and best pricing to help your home sell fast. Here are the steps to selling your home in San Diego.

1. Determine Your Motive for Selling

With my background in psychotherapy, I always think it’s a good idea to determine your motive for selling. Whether it’s for an emotional reason or a financial reason, determine the reason will help me help you through the selling process. Once you identify your motive, it’s a good idea to talk to your lender to find out the balance of your mortgage and how much equity you have on your home. From there, you should make a list of when you want to move, your pre-listing home improvement budget, and the minimum sales price that you will accept.

2. Hire Shirley Smith to Sell Your Home in San Diego

There is a reason real estate agents exist, it’s because selling your home is a full-time job. When you hire me to sell your home, I handle everything regarding the sale of your house so you don’t have to. I will do whatever it takes from suggesting home improvements to staging your home to implementing the best marketing strategy to help you sell your home for top dollar. I’m here to help you through the selling process. Just read my testimonials to see how I’ve helped other San Diego residents with the sales of their homes.

 

3. Research the Best Time to Sell Your San Diego Home

Timing is everything. Your specific neighborhood might have a certain time of year that makes sales happen faster. I will help you determine the best time of year to sell your home and guide you through putting it on the market. If you want to make a maximum profit on your home, I might advise you to wait a few months to sell.

4. Complete Home Improvements

It’s amazing how a little bit of work can help sell your home. If you invest a little bit of money on a fresh coat of paint, some landscaping and other ways to enhance your curb appeal, your home can potentially sell for much more. A first impression can make or break the sale of your home. Make sure your buyers are wowed at first impression.

5. Price Your Home Right

A mistake that many real estate agents make is not pricing your home right. As your real estate agent in San Diego, I take my time to research how much other homes are going for in your area to help you price your home just right. If you price it too low, you might not make enough money. If you price it too high, you might not get any potential buyers. When priced just right, you will make money and get the right amount of potential buyers in the door.

6. Stage Your Home

Staging your home is important for reaching the most amount of buyers possible. You can start by depersonalizing your home. Remove all pictures of family members, declutter, and clean your home top to bottom. If you have already moved out of the house, I will recommend having it staged with furniture to appeal to more buyers during open houses.

7. Marketing Your Home

As soon as your home is put on the market, it’s important to market it as much as possible. I market your home in all the best outlets. From professional photography, 3D tours, postcards, newspaper ads, and social media marketing, I do everything I can to market your listing to the most people possible. I’ll also hold open houses and schedule showings of your home to capture more potential buyers.

8. Keep an Eye Out for Closing Problems

Congratulations! You accepted an offer on your home. However, It’s not time to celebrate just yet. Your home may be under contract with a buyer, but you’re not out of the woods yet. You still need to make it through a home inspection, home appraisal, and financing issues. Any of these problems can lead to buyers dropping out. If something goes wrong, I will help you make the necessary adjustments to avoid future problems.

9. Move Out

If you haven’t already moved out, it’s time to plan to move out of your home so the new buyers can move in. Whether you want to do it yourself or hire movers, make sure to plan for these costs ahead of time. If you are buying and selling simultaneously, you should have a temporary housing situation set up just in case timing doesn’t work out. When the time comes to move out, make sure you are prepared.

10. Close the Sale

To close the sale of your house, you will need to open an escrow account. This is where all of the transaction funds are held while you make any necessary repairs to your home and complete inspections and obtain certifications. You will be required to submit a property disclosure of any known defects or issues. In addition, you will need to review the expected closing costs that can range anywhere from 8 to 10 percent of the sale of your home. After all of that is taken care of, you will sign the final documents, hand over your keys and close escrow. Your deed will be transferred over to the new owners and you will pay off your existing mortgage, closing costs and take the profit you’ve made if any.

Congrats on Selling Your Home!

Now that you’ve sold your home, you might be looking for a new one to live in. To get started on your new home search, use the search bar below or give Shirley Smith a call to get started.