Anyone considering selling a home understands the importance of having it beautifully updated and ready to show before buyers start calling. The question is: how early do you need to prepare?
Should you clean, repair, and stage before the Realtor® even comes to perform a home evaluation? Or should you wait and get their educated opinion before going to the trouble?
In this post, we’ll explore the benefits and drawbacks of either option so you can make the most of any market.
Understanding what your house is worth in today’s market is an important step to a successful sale. At Go Wylde Real Estate, you don’t have to wait to book your complimentary home evaluation.
The Case for Preparing Before Your Home Evaluation
Some homeowners believe very strongly that they should have everything ready and updated before reaching out to a real estate agent. We can see the logic. It’s no secret that properties in premium condition tend to command a higher price.
However, over-preparing beforehand is similar to believing you must be fit and in tip-top shape before joining a gym. It’s also the same principle as frantically cleaning your house before hiring a professional cleaner! We understand and appreciate the enthusiasm, but we also don’t want you to do more work than necessary to get optimal results.
It’s always a smart idea to check with a real estate agent before investing in any substantial repairs, but the posts below will give you some general ideas:
- Why Landscaping Matters When Selling Your Home
- Does Staging Work to Sell Your House?
- What Are the Best Ways to Increase Your Home’s Value?
What You Can Do Right Away
If you want to prepare beforehand, start by making a list of questions for your Realtor® about how to get the best results when selling your home. Keeping an open mind and detailed planning can save you money while increasing your return on investment once your transaction finalizes.
The one place where it never hurts to start early is in decluttering and getting organized. Not that a good Realtor® can’t see past a lived-in kitchen or overstuffed closet.
Still, this is often the most time-consuming task, and it needs to be done at some point. Beginning now will make the rest of your home preparations easier and allow you to move quickly if necessary.
Reasons to Get Your Home Evaluation First
There are several reasons to contact a real estate agent the moment you even think about listing your home. Together, you can create a strategy that works for you and aligns with what is happening in the market right now.
Buyers Have Different Ideas on What They Want
We have seen it time and time again. A homeowner wants to hit the ground running, and so they invest in substantial kitchen and bathroom renovations. Perhaps they even have the basement completely gutted and refinished or add a swimming pool.
All of these are worthy endeavours that a buyer should value and appreciate, but all too often, they don’t. Or worse, the seller makes changes that actually decrease the property’s appeal in the market, such as reducing the number of bedrooms or taking out a bathroom.
Getting a home evaluation beforehand would have prevented many costly mistakes when selling a home. A trained real estate agent could have informed them about what renovations were most likely to succeed. If you’re thinking of listing, we can advise you on what paint colours are shown to increase property value and what leaves buyers less than impressed.
As real estate agents, we tour homes all day, every day. This experience has given us strong insight into what appeals to the masses!
You Might Change Your Mind
Some home sellers are moving because they don’t have a choice. Others might be upsizing or downsizing and could be flexible regarding the timeline. Based on the results from your home evaluation, you might proceed to list your house as planned.
Other times, you might choose to hold off for now. Perhaps the penalty for breaking your mortgage will be too high, but if you wait another year, you can sell instead of renewing your term. If that’s the case, it’s better that you didn’t go through any unnecessary upgrades or the stress of living in a staged home!
Looking for more resources that lead to a great outcome? You’ll find plenty in the posts below:
- How to Find the Best Realtor® in Guelph
- What to Avoid When Selling Your Home in Guelph
- Home Inspections: Friend or Foe When Selling Your Home?
Your Real Estate Agent Can Help From the Start
With so much work involved in preparing a house for sale, some homeowners get overwhelmed before they even start. This leads to procrastination, and you might end up putting off your home evaluation altogether.
Doing everything yourself takes time that you may not have when you want to be settled by a specific date. And remember: painting and renovations only raise the value of the home if the work is performed to a high standard.
When you connect early with a real estate agent, we can help right from the beginning stages. Our team comes with an entire network of tradespeople that we have already built relationships with and have vetted.
Cleaners, movers, painters, plumbers, electricians, home inspectors, landscapers – you name it, we can connect you to a professional you can trust. Your home can be ready faster than you realize, and with less stress and effort than you imagine.
Accurate information is the foundation of all successful transactions. If you’re thinking of listing your house for sale, you have everything to gain by booking your evaluation earlier, not later.
Do you want to experience outstanding results when selling your home? Our top Guelph real estate agents are here to guide you from start to finish. Reach out to info@gowylde.ca or call 519-826-7109 with any questions.
