Eight
steps to
selling
your
home
-
Define
your
needs.
Write
down
all
the
reasons
for
selling
your
home.
Ask
yourself,
"Why
do I
want
to
sell
and
what
do I
expect
to
accomplish
with
the
sale?"
For
example,
a
growing
family
may
prompt
your
need
for
a
larger
home,
or a
job
opportunity
in
another
city
may
necessitate
a
move.
For
your
goals,
write
down
if
you'd
like
to
sell
your
house
within
a
certain
time
frame
or
make
a
particular
profit
margin.
Work
with
your
real
estate
agent
to
map
out
the
best
path
to
achieve
your
objectives
and
set
a
realistic
time
frame
for
the
sale.
-
Name
your
price.
Your
next
objective
should
be
to
determine
the
best
possible
selling
price
for
your
house.
Setting
a
fair
asking
price
from
the
outset
will
generate
the
most
activity
from
other
real
estate
agents
and
buyers.
You
will
need
to
take
into
account
the
condition
of
your
home,
what
comparable
homes
in
your
neighborhood
are
selling
for,
and
state
of
the
overall
market
in
your
area.
It's
often
difficult
to
remain
unbiased
when
putting
a
price
on
your
home,
so
your
real
estate
agent's
expertise
is
invaluable
at
this
step.
Your
agent
will
know
what
comparable
homes
are
selling
for
in
your
neighborhood
and
the
average
time
those
homes
are
sitting
on
the
market.
If
you
want
a
truly
objective
opinion
about
the
price
of
your
home,
you
could
have
an
appraisal
done.
This
typically
costs
a
few
hundred
dollars.
Remember:
You're
always
better
off
setting
a
fair
market
value
price
than
setting
your
price
too
high.
Studies
show
that
homes
priced
higher
than
3
percent
of
their
market
value
take
longer
to
sell.
If
your
home
sits
on
the
market
for
too
long,
potential
buyers
may
think
there
is
something
wrong
with
the
property.
Often,
when
this
happens,
the
seller
has
to
drop
the
price
below
market
value
to
compete
with
newer,
reasonably
priced
listings.
-
Prepare
your
home.
Most
of
us
don't
keep
our
homes
in
"showroom"
condition.
We
tend
to
overlook
piles
of
boxes
in
the
garage,
broken
porch
lights,
and
doors
or
windows
that
stick.
It's
time
to
break
out
of
that
owner's
mindset
and
get
your
house
in
tip-top
shape.
The
condition
of
your
home
will
affect
how
quickly
it
sells
and
the
price
the
buyer
is
willing
to
offer.
First
impressions
are
the
most
important.
Your
real
estate
agent
can
help
you
take
a
fresh
look
at
your
home
and
suggest
ways
to
stage
it
and
make
it
more
appealing
to
buyers.
* A
home
with
too
much
"personality"
is
harder
to
sell.
Removing
family
photos,
mementos
and
personalized
décor
will
help
buyers
visualize
the
home
as
theirs.
*
Make
minor
repairs
and
replacements.
Small
defects,
such
as a
leaky
faucet,
a
torn
screen
or a
worn
doormat,
can
ruin
the
buyer's
first
impression.
*
Clutter
is a
big
no-no
when
showing
your
home
to
potential
buyers.
Make
sure
you
have
removed
all
knick-knacks
from
your
shelves
and
cleared
all
your
bathroom
and
kitchen
counters
to
make
every
area
seem
as
spacious
as
possible.
-
Get
the
word
out.
Now
that
you're
ready
to
sell,
your
real
estate
agent
will
set
up a
marketing
strategy
specifically
for
your
home.
There
are
many
ways
to
get
the
word
out,
including:
*
The
Internet
*
Yard
signs
*
Open
houses
*
Media
advertising
*
Agent-to-agent
referrals
*
Direct
mail
marketing
campaigns
In
addition
to
listing
your
home
on
the
MLS,
your
agent
will
use
a
combination
of
these
tactics
to
bring
the
most
qualified
buyers
to
your
home.
Your
agent
should
structure
the
marketing
plan
so
that
the
first
three
to
six
weeks
are
the
busiest.
-
Receive
an
offer.
When
you
receive
a
written
offer
from
a
potential
buyer,
your
real
estate
agent
will
first
find
out
whether
or
not
the
individual
is
prequalified
or
preapproved
to
buy
your
home.
If
so,
then
you
and
your
agent
will
review
the
proposed
contract,
taking
care
to
understand
what
is
required
of
both
parties
to
execute
the
transaction.
The
contract,
though
not
limited
to
this
list,
should
include
the
following:
*
Legal
description
of
the
property
*
Offer
price
*
Down
payment
*
Financing
arrangements
*
List
of
fees
and
who
will
pay
them
*
Deposit
amount
*
Inspection
rights
and
possible
repair
allowances
*
Method
of
conveying
the
title
and
who
will
handle
the
closing
*
Appliances
and
furnishings
that
will
stay
with
the
home
*
Settlement
date
*
Contingencies
At
this
point,
you
have
three
options:
accept
the
contract
as
is,
accept
it
with
changes
(a
counteroffer),
or
reject
it.
Remember:
Once
both
parties
have
signed
a
written
offer,
the
document
becomes
legally
binding.
If
you
have
any
questions
or
concerns,
be
certain
to
address
them
with
your
real
estate
agent
right
away.
-
Negotiate
to
sell.
Most
offers
to
purchase
your
home
will
require
some
negotiating
to
come
to a
win-win
agreement.
Your
real
estate
agent
is
well
versed
on
the
intricacies
of
the
contracts
used
in
your
area
and
will
protect
your
best
interest
throughout
the
bargaining.
Your
agent
also
knows
what
each
contract
clause
means,
what
you
will
net
from
the
sale
and
what
areas
are
easiest
to
negotiate.
Some
negotiable
items:
*
Price
*
Financing
*
Closing
costs
*
Repairs
*
Appliances
and
fixtures
*
Landscaping
*
Painting
*
Move-in
date
Once
both
parties
have
agreed
on
the
terms
of
the
sale,
your
agent
will
prepare
a
contract.
-
Prepare
to
close.
Once
you
accept
an
offer
to
sell
your
house,
you
will
need
to
make
a
list
of
all
the
things
you
and
your
buyer
must
do
before
closing.
The
property
may
need
to
be
formally
appraised,
surveyed,
inspected
or
repaired.
Your
real
estate
agent
can
spearhead
the
effort
and
serve
as
your
advocate
when
dealing
with
the
buyer's
agent
and
service
providers.
Depending
on
the
written
contract,
you
may
pay
for
all,
some
or
none
of
these
items.
If
each
procedure
returns
acceptable
results
as
defined
by
the
contract,
then
the
sale
may
continue.
If
there
are
problems
with
the
home,
the
terms
set
forth
in
the
contract
will
dictate
your
next
step.
You
or
the
buyer
may
decide
to
walk
away,
open
a
new
round
of
negotiations
or
proceed
to
closing.
Important
reminder:
A
few
days
before
the
closing,
you
will
want
to
contact
the
entity
that
is
closing
the
transaction
and
make
sure
the
necessary
documents
will
be
ready
to
sign
on
the
appropriate
date.
Also,
begin
to
make
arrangements
for
your
upcoming
move
if
you
have
not
done
so.
-
Close
the
deal.
"Closing"
refers
to
the
meeting
where
ownership
of
the
property
is
legally
transferred
to
the
buyer.
Your
agent
will
be
present
during
the
closing
to
guide
you
through
the
process
and
make
sure
everything
goes
as
planned.
By
being
present
during
the
closing,
he
or
she
can
mediate
any
last-minute
issues
that
may
arise.
In
some
states,
an
attorney
is
required
and
you
may
wish
to
have
one
present.
After
the
closing,
you
should
make
a
"to
do"
list
for
turning
the
property
over
to
the
new
owners.
Here
is a
checklist
to
get
you
started.
*
Cancel
electricity,
gas,
lawn
care,
cable
and
other
routine
services.
* If
the
new
owner
is
retaining
any
of
the
services,
change
the
name
on
the
account.
*
Gather
owner's
manuals
and
warranties
for
all
conveying
appliances.
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