Thinking of Selling Your Home?

If you’re thinking of selling your home within the next year, it pays to put together a 12-month master plan for achieving your goals. Here’s what to consider:

One Year Out

•   Identify your reasons for selling. Do you want to downsize or upsize? Looking to move across the country? Live a more urban or rural lifestyle?

•   Assess your overall goals in making a move. What do you hope to achieve by moving to a new home? Are factors like walkability rating, minimal landscaping, schools or neighborhood community important to you?

•   Make a list of the pros and cons of moving within a year. Prioritize your needs and wants in selling and buying a new home. Zero-in on where you want to live, the type of home you want to own or rent (for example, condo or house).

•   Create a Vision Board with images of your ideal home.

•   Contact your local real estate agent who can help guide you through the process.

6 Months Out

*   Gather and organize your financial documents in preparation for meeting with your financial advisor and lending professional.

* Hire a real estate professional and consult with them on potential home repairs, renovations, and projects.

*   Check your credit report for any areas that require your attention.

*   Prepare a budget for your house sale. Include making minor house repairs, landscaping, cleaning, pre-inspection and sewer reports, storage, and moving costs.

*   Explore neighborhoods and visit Open Houses to get a good understanding of your local real estate market.

*   Start decluttering! Sort your giveaways into free items, sellable items, and items you can throw away.

*   Let your friends and family in on your house sale plans so they can keep their eyes out for prospective buyers and places for your next move.

3 Months Out

*   Walk through each room in your home to identify minor repairs needed indoors and out, items for disposal, and items for storage.

*   Keep decluttering! Organize furnishings and housewares into long-term and short-term storage.

*   Host a Downsizing Sale.

* Replace light bulbs throughout your home. Aim for a bright, natural glow in all rooms. Avoid mismatch bulbs or bright led/white lights.

*   Obtain a pre-approval letter from your banking institution for your next home purchase. Your lending mortgage broker can always update your approval as needed.

*   Check in with your realtor to finalize your listing date, set your listing price (subject to change depending on market conditions), and make any last-minute adjustments.

One Week Out

*   Tidy your landscaping by pruning, weeding, and mowing your lawn. Plant container gardens to add more color and fill in any gaps in landscaping.

*   Schedule window cleaning and deep cleaning throughout your home.

*   Remove valuables before your Open House.

*   Make your home staging arrangements to showcase your home.

*   Plan to move out of your home for a week to provide potential buyers as much access as possible. Move in with friends or family or spring for an AirBnB rental or hotel reservation. Many buyers prefer to tour homes with their real estate agents after work hours, in the middle of the day or weekends outside of Open House tour hours. Buyers may also want to visit your home a second time to confirm their first impressions before making an hour.