Planning To Sell Your Home In A Year? Start Doing These Things Now

When my youngest child moved out, I was left living in a large home by myself. Weekend visits from the grandchildren only filled the space part of the time. The home became more of a burden as each day passed. It was not until I was working with my real estate agent to sell my home and find a smaller home did I realize that there were so many others in the same position. I created this blog to help other empty nesters explore their options for downsizing and to provide guidance on finding a new home that fits in more with their lifestyle.

Planning To Sell Your Home In A Year? Start Doing These Things Now

Planning To Sell Your Home In A Year? Start Doing These Things Now

10 January 2017
 Categories:
Real Estate, Blog


While there can occasionally be reasons that you might wish to sell your house with little to no advance thought, many homeowners have an idea of when they'll want to sell. If you're expecting to put your listing on the market in a year, you've got plenty of time to get to work to make the house more desirable for prospective buyers. Doing so requires some work and an investment now but can reward you with a quicker sale for a higher price. It's never too early to start making positive changes; here are some things that you can do.

Fix Anything That Needs It

It can be very daunting to try to fix a number of things around your home right before you sell, so it's a good idea to begin this work well in advance of listing the residence. Starting a year before the house goes on the market should give you plenty of time to address a wide range of issues, whether it's getting a cracked foundation professionally repaired, having a crumbling chimney rebuilt, having a new bay window installed, or fixing smaller issues such as dents in the drywall. You can highlight some of these projects in your real estate listing, too — for example, indicating that the living room window was installed a year ago.

Talk To A Real Estate Agent

Even if you're a year away from listing your property, contacting a real estate agent for advice now is a good idea. Be up front with the agent by discussing your timelines, but don't hesitate to ask for advice on how to make the property more appealing to buyers. It's ideal to get this information early so that you'll have the time and money to address anything that needs to be done. For example, the agent might suggest repainting some of the rooms that are painted in colors that most buyers won't favor or investing some money into landscaping in your front yard.

Take Before And After Photos

Photos that show your home before and after any work that you've done can clearly demonstrate to prospective buyers that you've made a significant investment in the home. Many people choose to use these comparative images in their real estate listings, so it's important to start early — after all, you won't have the ability to take "before" images once the work is done. These images can serve as a nice keepsake, too, reminding you in the future of all the work you did to successfully sell your home.

About Me
Home Buying Tips for Empty Nesters

When my youngest child moved out, I was left living in a large home by myself. Weekend visits from the grandchildren only filled the space part of the time. The home became more of a burden as each day passed. It was not until I was working with my real estate agent to sell my home and find a smaller home did I realize that there were so many others in the same position. I created this blog to help other empty nesters explore their options for downsizing and to provide guidance on finding a new home that fits in more with their lifestyle.

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