Conducting last-minute showings, keeping everything clean and staged, not knowing when you’ll finally get a serious offer—selling a home can be exhausting. If you’ve never sold a home before, then there can be a bit of a learning curve, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
Luckily, we’ve been selling homes for years. We know the ins and outs of the process, and how to stay sane throughout it all. If you’re in the midst of selling and feeling the stress, here’s what you should keep in mind.
Declutter & Clean
There are two big reasons why you’ll need to keep things clean and decluttered: 1. You never know when buyers might stop by, and 2. You’ll need to be packing things up for your move, anyway.
If you haven’t started yet, kick off the cleanup by working one room at a time, packing up the things you know you don’t need, as well as any extra furniture that clutters up the room, and most of your decorations. Once that’s done, it’s all about maintaining the space. A helpful way to do this is by creating a daily and weekly checklist with small tasks that will keep your space organized. Staying on top of things is the key!
Set Your Space up to Sell
If having your space decluttered and clean is the first step, then setting things up to sell—AKA staging your home—is the next step. You should make it clear that you’ll need advance notice before a showing (consider telling your agent to give you a 3 – 4 hour heads up).
But since showings can happen with relatively short notice, it’s best to keep your home ready to go. Consider keeping the rooms you don’t use very often staged at all times, and make it easy to stage the others quickly.
Think of It as Business
Selling a home can be an emotional process. After all, you’ve probably made lots of memories in your home and value the space in a way that others don’t necessarily understand. So when potential buyers don’t like something about your home, you might take it personally.
In reality, hearing feedback—even if it’s negative—is important. It’ll help you take a step back, remove your bias, and see what you can do to make your home better than it was.
Work with Someone You Trust
Having someone on your side—someone who knows the process, who can guide you through any roadblocks, who will answer your questions along the way—will take a lot of the stress of selling off your shoulders. A good agent won’t just see your house as another number, but will understand the sentimental value behind it and the difficulties that come with selling.
When you work with the Kathy Henne Team, we’ll be dedicated to reaching your real estate goals and helping you stay sane along the way. We’ll be there to guide you through everything from finding the right price to giving you a selling timeline, and we’ll also remind you to think ahead to the good memories you’ll make in your new place.
Ready to List Your Home?
Selling your house is a big step, and it undoubtedly comes with some difficulties. But when you’re prepared and have a professional on your side, things aren’t too bad!
If you’re ready to list your home and looking for some help, just give our team a call. We’re always around to answer your selling questions!