Home Sellers: Do This Before You List

Home Sellers: Do This Before You List


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Home SellersYou are thinking about becoming home sellers. So, you’ve freshened up your home and decluttered every room.  Even the closets look spectacular.  Your house looks so great you wish you had done this years ago so you could enjoy it.  

But before you hammer the “For Sale” sign in the front yard there are a few things home sellers need to do. Savvy buyers will want a little extra information that you should have prepped and ready to go. For that reason, here are the final things home sellers should consider taking care of before listing the home “for sale.”

Conduct a Survey

First, make sure you have a survey.  This will give buyers information about property lines, conservation buffers and easements.  They’ll be able to tell if they have room in the yard for upgrades like a swingset or a pool.  

Providing a survey upfront will answer all of these questions. This way, there won’t be any surprises when your home goes under contract.

If you’ve put in a pool or any structures that affect the property and are not visible on your previous survey, you will need a new survey.  If you’ve looked everywhere for the survey you were given when you purchased your home and can’t seem to find it, you can try contacting the title company or the office of the attorney who did the closing.  There is a chance they could retrieve it depending on how long ago the closing took place.  If that isn’t successful, you’ll want to get a new survey.

Prepare the Floor Plan

Another document you will want to have before you list is your floor plan.  Dimensions are helpful to buyers when they are deciding on furniture for their future home.  Whether it is knowing the garage size to make sure vehicles will fit or measuring for that big flat screen television, buyers will have the info with the help of a floor plan.  

Appraisals can be helpful to show the exact square footage of a property instead of solely relying on tax records that are sometimes inaccurate.  You don’t want to be one of those cases where you thought the house you were buying was larger than it really turns out to be.  

Your lender should have given you a copy when you closed or refinanced.  A floorplan can be drawn up if you can’t place your original appraisal.

Have Utility Bills on Hand

Next, have your utility bills handy.  Savvy buyers want to know what all of the costs of the home will be.  From the cost of the gas and electric bill to the water bill, home sellers will want to obtain all of your utility bills from the last two years or so and provide the average to the buyers.

Calling the utility companies can also help.  They should be able to give you a range of high, medium and low bills.  If you have a bill that seems high or low, you can always provide an explanation to the potential buyers.

Collect Warranties and Paperwork

It’s also the right time for home sellers to look around for all of the user manuals and warranty paperwork for big ticket items like the hot water heater, appliances, air conditioning, etc.  Compile all of your manuals in one place like a binder or envelope so they are easily accessible for the new buyers.

While you are doing this, also create a similar binder for all of your service providers.  Having these resources will make your buyers have an easy transition to your home.

Home sellers who take the time to collect and present all of the information above will sepeare themselves from the pack. When presented to prospective buyers that come through your property, it will be sure to impress. It might even shorten your time on the market! Keeping a buyer’s attention is key and providing them with this information will take out the need for guesswork.

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