Five First-time Home Seller FAQs

There often is a lot of focus on first-time home buyers and the questions they may have as they enter the real estate market. However, the same should go for first-time home sellers, right? When you decide to list your first home for sale, you probably have no idea what to expect.

To help first-time home sellers, we have compiled a list of common home-seller questions. Here are our top five:

1. How do I know what my home is worth?

When you first buy a home, you often invest a lot of time and money into making it all that you want it to be. So, it is understandable that you might want a particular amount of money for your home. You may even have a selling price in mind before you decide to list your home.

While you may know what you would like to get for your home, a real estate agent can help you determine a realistic selling price. With a comparative market analysis, your real estate agent can find out what prices similar area homes recently have sold for. Then, you can decide on a reasonable asking price for your home.

2. What do I need to do to prepare my home for sale?

You may already know that you should clean and declutter your home before listing it. You also should remove any abundance of personal photos, so prospective buyers have an easier time envisioning themselves in your home.

Remember that what you do on the inside, you also should do on the outside. Make sure that your lawn is in top condition and that you’ve got curb appeal, all the way from your front stoop through your driveway.

Professional staging may not be a must, but you will want to make sure that you are properly utilizing your space. If you’ve turned your dining room into a children’s play room for convenience, convert it back into a dining room. In fact, you’ll not only do these things when you first list your home, but you’ll do them throughout your sale.

3. How long will the home sale process take?

It is impossible to give you an exact answer to this question. However, a real estate agent can give you insight into how long a typical home like yours may take to sell. By looking at similar area homes that have recently sold and understanding current market conditions, your agent can advise you on your sales timeline. They also should be able to provide you with advice on how to make your home more marketable.

4. What should I tell buyers about my home?

We are not only talking about what you should say in your home’s listing. When it comes to the condition of your home, you should tell buyers everything. We repeat, everything! Disclose every possible problem your home could have. If you don’t, it may be found out during the closing process.

A home inspector may even uncover issues that you don’t know about. The bottom line? Tell prospective buyers everything you know about your home! Your real estate agent may be able to provide a list of similar area problems or issues, but you should make sure that you know exactly what is going on with your home.

5. Do I need a real estate agent?

If you’ve reached this question, you probably already know and understand the answer. Not only does your real estate agent have more industry knowledge and savvy than you, but, they will advocate for your needs. Selling your first home is stressful enough. There is no need to add the stress of not having a real estate agent, too.

Find an agent that you trust and begin your home sale process today!