Seller's Guide

What do you want to accomplish with the sale of your home? Do you want to make a certain amount of money that you can put toward a larger or nicer home? Do you need to sell it as soon as possible to facilitate a move to a new city or area? Once you understand your needs, you can better craft your plan. For example, if you need to sell quickly, you might want to price your home lower than if your goal is to make a certain profit margin. Make sure you convey these needs to your agent once you choose one so they can adjust your strategy accordingly.

If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. Once you price your home, it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. Your agent should review each offer and make sure the party making the offer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer. If you receive multiple offers, you'll want to carefully navigate those waters to make sure you're selecting the best possible offer for you.

Once you're in contract to sell your home, your home may need to be formally inspected, surveyed, and appraised. If you're selling an apartment, your buyer may need to prepare and submit a board application, and in the case of a co-op sale be approved by the board after an interview. Your agent will help make sure that is all completed in a timely manner. Once your buyer has been cleared to close by their lender and -- if applicable -- your condo or co-op board, the attorneys will schedule a closing date and location. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.