3 Must-Dos When Selling Your House

Price it right, keep your emotions in check and stage it for the buyer: three essentials for avoiding costly mistakes when you sell your home.
Gold line illustration of a house with a for sale sign in the front yard

Putting your house on the market is exciting. You’re thinking about new memories in a new space. But even with all that anticipation, most of us still have a deep attachment to the home we’re leaving, and those emotions can help or hurt a sale depending on how we manage them.

When it comes to your bottom line, it pays to know how to avoid costly mistakes. Being prepared for the process helps you stay on track. Here are three must-dos.

1. Price your home right

When inventory is low, it’s tempting to think buyers will pay whatever you ask. That isn’t always true. Remember that the buyer’s lender will send an appraiser to determine the home’s fair value, and the bank won’t lend more than the home is worth. Overprice it, and you may have to renegotiate after the appraisal, or watch your home sit. A real estate professional will help you set a price based on real market data.

Wardman Insight
The buyer’s appraisal, not the list price, sets the ceiling on what a lender will finance.
Pricing right from day one attracts more buyers and avoids renegotiating later.

2. Keep your emotions in check

Homeowners are staying in their homes longer than they used to; typical ownership has roughly doubled since the 1980s, to around a decade. The longer you stay, the more attached you tend to get. If it’s the first home you bought or the house where your kids grew up, every room holds memories.

That can make it harder to separate emotional value from market value during negotiations. A real estate professional can be your objective advocate and keep the deal on track.

3. Stage your home for the buyer

We’re all proud of how we’ve made our homes our own, but not every buyer will share your taste. Buyers want to picture themselves in the space with their own furniture and keepsakes, not your photos and decor. Declutter and stage with the buyer in mind so they can imagine their own life as they walk through.

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