What to Expect: The Home Selling Timeline
Whether you are selling your home due to a new job, you need to upsize or downsize or want to take advantage of the market conditions, you need to know where to start.
Working with an experienced Realtor® will help you navigate all the ins and outs of selling your home — of which there are many! Still, it's also good to know what to expect from the selling timeline before starting the process to keep life progressing smoothly regardless of the circumstances.
Find Your Realtor®
First, you will want to find an experienced Realtor® early on in the home selling process. They help with more than listing your home from comparative market analyses, staging, de-cluttering, pre-marketing, etc. One vital benefit to working with a Realtor® is the peace of mind that comes from taking the stress and confusion out of navigating the selling process.
Most adults will buy or sell only three times in their life. Realtors® navigate through more than that every month! Remember, they have an ethical and fiduciary duty to work in your best interest; you can feel confident in their service. They are there to guide you each step of the way. Not only that, your Realtor® should be very knowledgeable about current market conditions, proper marketing and listing strategies for your property, and the entire process from consultation to closing.
It's essential to share your goals, hopes, concerns, and fears about selling your home during your consultation with your Realtor®. The more we understand your motivation to sell, the better we can assist you. We also review the listing and legal documents you will need to sign in detail. Then comes the fun: determine the date when to put your home on the market!
Home Preparations
At this point in the process, you know when you'll list your home, and your Realtor® has been hands-on throughout the process — you've become the super team. The paperwork is prepped and signed, and now it's time to get into the nitty-gritty — preparing your home for staging and photos!
You and your Realtor® will determine what house repairs or deferred maintenance need to be handled and get the right vendors after the job! After the dust has settled from patchwork, it's cleaning time! This is where you will do a deep clean of your house and de-clutter along the way. (Hot tip: remove everything from corners in your home, making rooms larger and feel cleaner.)
Don't forget to spruce up curb appeal! Potential buyers will always remember their feeling as they drive up for a showing or open house.
Home Staging & Photos
Now that you've handled all the repairs, de-cluttering, and cleaning, it's time to pre-pack and move some of your things out to make room for any staging furniture and de-personalizing your space. The goal is to show the potential buyers a fresh, clean slate so they can visualize themselves living there without being distracted by your personal belongings and decor tastes.
Consider changing the shower curtain and towels to bright (and fluffy) white, adding simple decorative throw pillows, and removing or replacing rugs. Take down any gallery walls and patch the holes. Remove extra kitchen appliances. Keep fresh flowers in the entry or living area. These finishing touches and small details make a big difference in the photos and the showing experience.
Listing & Marketing
When the home is ready, we schedule photography and prepare various marketing materials like flyers, postcards, social media posts, and more. Then, your listing is ready to go live, and your Realtor® will publish it! When your listing is posted on the official MLS, it is automatically sent out to targeted buyers working with qualified professionals who have set them up for Listing Alerts for homes like yours.
Showings & Open Houses
Now it's time to showcase all of your hard work! Your Realtor® will manage open house timeframes and marketing to get maximum exposure after you list! Then buyer's agents will request private showings where they bring their clients to view the property.
During showings and open houses, you'll want to be away from your home and leave it clean, tidy, and smelling good — no overwhelming candle scents. Also, take your pets with you if you can! One of the difficult parts about living in the home while it's showing or on open house days is that you will need to keep the home clean and tidy so the house looks the same as it did when it was photographed.
Offers & Negotiations
You've received an offer (or a few) and are ready to review, accept, and enter the negotiation phase. Your Realtor® is critical in all parts of the process, but this is the phase you absolutely need them! Together you will determine which offer is best for your goals and what, if anything, you want to counteroffer. Many factors determine the best offer — remember, the highest price does not always make it the best offer. A good Realtor® will always do their best to protect your bottom line and negotiate on your behalf to get the price and the terms you want.
Due Diligence Process
The due diligence period includes the buyer's home inspection and appraisal. Even if the buyer waives the contingencies associated with these steps, they may still want to complete them and get access to the home. Other contractors like roofers, plumbers, etc. may also need access to the house. If the buyer requests repairs at this point, your Realtor® will handle all negotiations. If the appraisal falls below the agreed-upon purchase price, the buyer has a few options to negotiate — your Realtor® will negotiate this circumstance to get you the best possible outcome.
Closing & Celebrate!
Wow! What a journey — you made it to closing! Now the closing date will be scheduled. In the meantime, you will be working on moving out. Unless you've negotiated a lease-back with the new owners of the home, you'll also have your date where the house needs to be vacated and ready to turn over. This is usually the day of closing. Most buyers and their Realtor® will conduct a final walkthrough before signing.
The closing date or settlement meeting is when and where you will sign all of the paperwork associated with the sale. The transfer of ownership will be recorded at the county, and you'll hand over the keys when the loan funds. Typically, the transfer of keys occurs within 24 to 48 hours of closing (when it has been funded and recorded) and will be handled by your Realtor®.
That was quite the journey, but you made it, and now it's time to celebrate and settle into your new home. If you loved the experience with your Realtor®, remember most of the best of the best work by referral, so if there is anyone you know that needs an excellent Realtor® send them their way!
