Taking time before you aggressively invest in selling may save you time, money and headaches in the future. Planning a year or so in advance to sell your home might seem a little crazy, but it can help in so many ways. By planning and using your time wisely, you can maximize your home’s value when you want to list and sell.

Here are four steps you should take a year or more in advance of selling your home.

1. Connect with a local real estate agent.
(That’s us!) Connecting with an agent in advance gives you the best opportunity to start learning the market and transitioning from being a homeowner to a home seller. A good agent will provide valuable information, advice about home improvements and can connect you to local businesses and resources you may not have available. Our team provides clients an extensive list of contractors, repair men, lenders and more. You can also view this list on our valuable contacts page. We take a lot of time to provide you all with the best resources we can in order to make you worry-free! Aside from providing great resources, an agent can assess your home’s condition and give you a better idea on where things need to be improved and where they don’t. Agents, especially ones like Angie, will provide suggestions to improve your home’s value with small to medium-sized projects.

2. Have a formal property inspection.
Getting a home inspection is part of the contractual bind between the buyer and the home seller, but doing it before you are in that position can be rather helpful. For a few hundred dollars you can hire a professional home inspector to asses the home’s major systems. Having someone come and point out the flaws in your home ahead of time will give you a fair chance to get them fixed before a buyer points them out and asks for a $5,000 credit for something that may cost $500 to fix. It is better to now know than when the buyer has you binded to a contract and you don’t have much of a choice.

3. Make the necessary improvements.
A lot of the time we see sellers improving their homes right before they list, which is great as you can always market the improvements as “new”, but waiting until the last minute can add on extra stress and unnecessary problems. If the agent you are working with gives you a list of cosmetic fixes to do including new carpet, new paint, re-grouting or new appliances consider tackling these projects ahead of time. It allows you to create a move-in ready home, which is often times what buyers are looking for. Be sure to prioritize your list of improvements to make sure they will really add value to your home.

4. Get a home warranty.
We offer our clients with many options for home warranties and strongly suggest getting one. It is like a one-year policy that addresses major (or minor) appliances and most home systems. If something were to break, you can call the home warranty company and for a small co-pay they will come fix the problem rather than having an appliance technician or plumber fix the problem. A warranty works well when working to list your home because it can in theory protect the improvements you are making, as well as take pressure off of your shoulders if something were to go wrong.

An agent may like to hear, “I would like to list my home within the next month or two”, but in reality taking time, being a year or more, will benefit you and them much more in the long run. Don’t wait until the last minute right before you are ready to list to prep the home. Invest time and money in advance to find an agent, get a home inspection, make improvements, and get a home warranty for an easier and more efficient home sale.

To read the full blog: 4 Steps to Take Now for a Faster Home Sale Next Year click here