When you prepare to sell your home, it is very common to experience a whole host of emotions. Most experience excitement about moving, reluctance to leave the home they created, and confusion about value. There are several steps to get ready to sell your home. While you are getting ready, you will do yourself a favor to keep in mind that you are emotional and the prospective buyers are going to be emotional as well.
When you are selling, it is best to remove as much emotion as possible. You want buyers to come into your home and see it as theirs. Begin to think of your home as a commodity and dress it up for others. One of the first steps is to “de-personalize” it. You want buyers to view it as their home. When a potential homebuyer sees your family photos hanging on the wall, this says, “this is my home, not yours.” It is best to store your family photos, sports trophies, and anything else that is uniquely you. Also, you want to get rid of as much clutter as possible. Get your real estate broker and friends to give you an honest opinion about the things you have around your home. Typically, once you complete this process, your home will feel a little empty to you. That’s okay. Put yourself in the shoes of the potential buyers. The goal is to get them to imagine they could live in your home. You want it to be inviting. If you have too much furniture or too many of your own personal things around, you create obstacles for buyers to imagine their things placed in your home.
Concerning value, have your real estate broker provide you with a comparative market analysis (CMA). It might make you feel better to get a couple CMAs. If you are still feeling confused, consider paying for an appraisal. The point is, there are lots of ways to take the mystery out of valuation and to feel good about pricing and selling your home.
