Selling your home doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, there are three phases to the process that are essential for a successful sale. Use this collection of tips in each phase to move your home from “For Sale” to “Sold”!

The preparation phase

Know your market value
Visit open houses, and compare sale prices. Better yet, ask a real estate professional for a comparative market analysis for your home. Here’s what you can gain:

• A list of upgrades to help your home keep up with others on the market
• A strategy for featuring details that already make your home stand out
• A better perspective on your home’s worth and your finances

Invest in an inspection
Catch the problem areas that a shiny exterior is hiding before potential buyers do. An early inspection equals more time to fix repairs and ultimately provides insight into your home’s top needs; a house with fewer issues will sell a lot faster. This doesn’t mean it needs to be perfect, but make sure everything is up to code. Hiring an inspector will get an accurate value of the home and leaves less room for potential buyers to negotiate since your home will be in tip-top shape and fairly priced.

Prioritize improvements
Based off the inspection, there will be definite problems or improvements that need to be made immediately. Cosmetic improvements are good for staging, but buyers need peace of mind that the changes will benefit them in the long run. Any significant structural modifications or remodels should be listed with the house. This will make it more eye-catching. Your real estate agent will know how to do this well!

Do your homework before hiring
Don’t rush to hire a contractor and purchase materials. Compare at least three bids, and ask for references. And don’t offer buyer credits against the purchase price instead—you’ll be better off investing the money to get the work done before listing.

The listing phase

Plan your pricing strategy
Start the pricing conversation early, and get more detailed as you get closer to listing. Decide on reductions and if-this-then-that scenarios. Write them down to use as a foundation when at a crossroads; pausing to decide during the process may lead to lost interest or money.

Real estate agents are equipped to make good judgements on this, so trust that yours has your best interest in mind when talking about price. They can deploy a few tools to get accurate numbers, and if you feel it’s too high or low, let them know so you can discuss further.

Set the stage
Staging is very different from decorating. In fact, it’s the opposite! Decorating makes a home your own, while staging gives it a broad appeal so potential buyers can envision it as their own. The top staging priorities are:

• Doing a thorough, deep cleaning
• Removing personal and quirky decor
• Decluttering

Check out this blog on how to stage perfectly!

Take high-quality photos
A picture is worth a thousand words. Showcase the preparation phase—your hard work and investments—with high-quality photos, which are a must for the era of the online search. Think about lighting, angles, and spots. Review the photos from the perspective of the buyer: Would I like this and find this helpful when looking for a home?

Virtual tours are also a great consideration nowadays. Here is how to stage for a virtual tour!

Your real estate agent will be able to help you with this; a lot of agencies have high-quality cameras to use for just this purpose along inside knowledge on what works best.

Stage for online and mobile devices
Today’s buyers are busy, which is why a majority of them start their home searches online and many first impressions are from a computer screen, smartphone, or tablet. Make sure that all the listing details are at their fingertips, including high-resolution photos that are optimized for web and mobile devices.

The showing phase

Be flexible with open house showings
The Sunday open house might seem disruptive to you, but it’s typically been the most successful showing day. Evenings are equally as important. Remember: buyers have jobs and busy schedules, and they could be traveling from a distance.

Highlight low-cost living
Energy efficiency, shade-baring trees, and a low-maintenance garden are examples of major selling points to highlight.

Keep up with curb appeal
Be prepared for eager buyers driving by your home before an open house, and maintain curb appeal throughout the entire showing process.

Pay attention to smells
Pet odors are the number one offender, but watch out for food smells and scents that are musty or allergenic too. Don’t use scented candles or aerosol sprays that simply mask the odor; eliminate it with a deep clean and fresh air.

Be mindful of flow
Have a friend do a walk-through of your home. Look for odd breaks from one room to the next, and group furniture into arrangements that inspire conversation.

When you’re ready to dive into phase one on this list, make sure to download our home seller’s checklist to help prepare different areas of your home for a sale.