Topics to Discuss With Your Real Estate Agent When Selling Your Home

Thinking of selling your home? Before you place the “For Sale” sign in front of your house, there are a few things you should consider in order to maximaze your home value and make the sales process smooth and efficient. Be prepared to discuss the following subjects with your real estate agent when you’re ready to sell your home and you’ll be one step ahead in the market.

1) How to De-Clutter
Decorate your home to sell by arranging the furniture to look as spacious as possible. Add color and fragrance to any room with fresh flowers or a deodorizer. Lastly,  don’t forget the outside of your home. Put away all gardening equipment and neatly arrange outdoor items like firewood or furniture. Even take a hard look at your mailbox and make sure it reflects the value and character of your home.

2) Features to Accentuate
While you may have long determined which aspects of your home you love, having a fresh set of eyes assess its best features is a smart idea. If you’re considering selling you rhome, take the time to walk through it methodically with your real estate agent. Together you can determine which features of the home should be accentated. Does your home have a wonderful view? Make the most of it by sprucing up window treatments and arranging furniture to draw the eye toward the windows. Perhaps the location of your house is truly incredible. Your real estate agent can help accentuate this feature in sales and marketing materials.

3) Desired Price and Bottom Line Price
It’s great to shoot high, but when determining your home value, it’s also important to identify your bottom line. By assessing recent home sale statistics in your area, your real estate agent can recommend an appropriate target price range. Working with your agent, you can set an initial asking price, as well as privately determine the absolute lowest price you would comfortably accept for selling your home. By crunching the numbers and setting parameters early on, you can avoid emotional rollercoasters during the process of receiving, countering and accepting offers.

4) Disclosures
When selling  your home, you are obligated to disclose problems that could affect the property’s value or desirability. In Pennsylvania, it is illegal to fraudulently conceal major physical defects in your property, such as a basement that floods in heavy rains. It is required for Sellers to take a proactive role by making written disclosures on the condition of the property. Your real estate agent can provide you with this form.