By Justin Brennan

So you've finally made the decision to list your home and it wasn't easy I'm sure. Just like when you purchased your home, you had to prepare. You looked at neighborhoods you were interested in, went through a pre-qualification process, and narrowed down your perfect size and features your home would have. Well, be prepared to take on these preparations to better ensure a quick sale for top dollar.

5 Ways to Prepare For Your Home Sale

Emotional bias. You love your home; it's why you bought it. Sure, you may have outgrown it, but there are memories here. Cooking thanksgiving dinners in the kitchen, family time on the couch. There may even be certain things you've adding to the home that you're proud of. A stained glass window, a piece of art, something that ties you to the property. Preparing the home to sell doesn't only mean cleaning up for it too look nice, it also means letting go of your emotional ties. Why? Because there are likely things about the home that a new buyer may hate. It's not personal, it's preference. That same buyer may also be the one who is willing to offer you top dollar or another buyer. So remember, take feedback on the home openly and try not to let your emotional bias get in the way!

Staging: This point can also fall under emotional bias. The furniture you have chosen is your personal preference and sure, it might work for another buyer, but the point in staging is to provide a crisp and clean canvas that will maximize the attraction to the home. Think of a showroom. That's how we want the home to look. Like no one has lived in it. Minimize and neutralize to accommodate your pickiest buyer.

Inspection: Be prepared for the buyer's inspector to find any and all issues. Things that you didn't even know existed in the home even if you have been living in it for 20 years. That's their job, to find broken things that are or could be a potential problem for the new buyer.  Generally, there will always be a few items that come up, but if they do not involve plumbing, roofing, electrical, or foundation, it is usually a small ticket item. A great way to have leverage and provide the most knowledge about the home upfront is to have a home inspection done prior to listing the home. After all, the more things you know ahead of time, the fewer problems you will have in the future.

Offers: The market is a moving force. It is comprised of buyers who can buy and sellers who want to sell, and because everything is subjective, so are prices. Homes can be quite different from one another, especially in the San Diego market. Two homes right next to each other can often sell for different prices. This means, that while we take into account all of the active, pending, and sold homes in the area to market the home at a respectful price, we ultimately aren't sure where a buyer might offer on the home. Meaning...offers will come in all shapes and sizes. Which is exactly what we want! The more offers the better. We can use a multiple offer situation to leverage the one or two buyers for your home that will pay the most and let the other buyers who aren't being realistic provide the boost. So never be discouraged when a low offer comes in. The market will ultimately tell us how much the home is worth.

Contingencies: The ugly part of the offers. Receiving a full price offer on your home can feel great. However, it may not be the best offer on the table. Contingencies play a large part in seeing the home close vs it falling out of escrow. In California, you have 3 common contingencies: Inspections, Appraisal, and Loan. If an offer is willing to remove or shorten the time period for any or multiple contingencies, it shows the buyer and/or buyers agent is aggressive and experienced, and that will put you in a better position to close on your home.

If you or someone you know is looking to buy, sell, or invest in San Diego real estate, feel free to reach out to the Brennan Real Estate Team. We would love to be your real estate resource!




 
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