If you are selling your home, it can be difficult to know where to start. There are a lot of steps to follow even before you list your home for sale, and getting advice or guidance from an agent is the best way to assure that everything goes smoothly. Maybe you aren’t even ready to consult an agent, and are simply considering selling your home and looking to learn more about the process. If that is the case, here is a guide to selling your home from pre-listing to closing,

Before You List

There are alot of preparations to do before you even list your home for sale to make sure that the selling process goes well and your home doesn’t linger on the market for too long. A few months before listing, it is important to do your homework. Research your local market to get an idea of what you should be listing your home for and to gauge interest. This is also the time to gather all your important documents, such as those for mortgage and insurance, and to add up the costs associated with selling your home.

• Decluttering and Staging: Remove personal items, declutter spaces.
• Minor Repairs and Upgrades: Fix any obvious issues, update fixtures, and consider a fresh coat of paint. Make sure to look at your home like a buyer would, and make any repairs that you have been putting off. 
• Enhancing Curb Appeal: Simple landscaping, cleaning the exterior, and updating the front door can make a big difference.
• Professional Photography: High-quality photos are essential for online listings
• Setting the Right Price: Work with your real estate agent to price your home competitively based on a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA).

After these steps have been handled, it is time to list your home. Your agent will help you determine your listing price, get professional photos taken and get your home advertised to lots of home websites.

After You List

Once your home is on the market, the next step for you will come once a buyer is ready to make an offer. Your agent will help you negotiate through this process, and help you figure out what to consider. The best thing to do is to aim for a win-win agreement between you and the buyer, while keeping your bottom line in mind. There are also factors outside of just the numbers to consider, such as contingency and being able to set the closing date.

Once you have negotiated a deal that both you and the buyer are satisfied with, it will not be long until it is time to close. There will be a list of things to do before the actual closing day, including:

• Setting an inspection with the buyer’s home inspector
• Working with the buyer’s appraiser
• Provide documents to the buyer’s agent and title company

After these steps are all finished, it will be time to schedule the closing with the title company. Once the closing is completed and the many forms are signed, you can relax knowing you have officially sold your home!