Looking to sell your home, but not quite sure where to begin? Maybe you can’t find any good “how-tos” anywhere. If so, you’re not alone. If you are considering selling your house by owner or know someone who wants to, then this article is for you! Today we’re going to provide you with a simple guide with the steps to selling a house by owner.
Getting your house ready in two steps
Don’t be deceived by the title of this paragraph. It may seem like a simple task, but it’s a little more in-depth than you may think at first. There are quite a few things to take into consideration in this area. However, nothing is too big for you to tackle. Let’s take a look at what to do before you list your house.
Removing extra clutter
This is probably the hardest part for most sellers, but it’s also one of the most important steps to selling a house by owner. Buyers like to walk into a house and not be bombarded by all your belongings. A good way to make sure this doesn’t happen is to either throw away unneeded items or put them in storage. Walk through your house and take notice of what has piled up in the last few years.
This may include broken furniture, decorations you don’t really care for, or items that you have duplicates of. Anything that you can do without, you should do without, in moderation. Don’t take us too seriously and get rid of your whole house. Just the things that aren’t necessary and only take up space. Throwing away needless clutter is a great way to give you a new perspective on how much you have that you don’t use.
Cleaning house
We all know there are things that get overlooked in our house cleaning routine. Maybe for you, it’s washing windows, or cleaning under your couches. Whatever it is, we’re here to tell you you’re not the only one. Life gets busy and house cleaning sometimes falls through the cracks. We’re going to give you some suggestions for a “one-time, house-selling cleaning” and also a routine to help you keep your clean house clean.
Jennifer from The Intentional Mom gives us an amazing list of 10 things to clean when selling your home. A busy mom of 9 from Michigan, Jennifer tells us the most important things to have clean in your home during the selling process. Because she knows how crazy life can be, she doesn’t make her cleaning list too hard. After all, when you have 9 kids, everything is about being simple, while also doing a job effectively.
So don’t worry that the jobs will be too hard. She knows the perfect balance between time and effort. Afterward, check out this quick, daily cleaning checklist to learn how to keep your house clean every day. You never know when there will be a showing, so it’s important to keep things looking good. Let’s get cleaning!
Listing your clean, decluttered house
Now that you have a sparkling clean house with less clutter, you’re ready to get down to the business side of things. It’s time to list your house. Your first step is to find the best flat-fee listing service. This is a service that will list your house on every “selling website” for a one-time price.
For Sale By Owner is an example of a flat-fee listing service. Doing your own research may find you a cheaper alternative because there are endless options. Websites like For Sale By Owner generally have excellent walk-through guides, so don’t worry about getting lost. For more information and details on selling your house with the MLS, read this article from I Sold My House.
Advertising
Another aspect to keep in mind when listing a house is advertising. The best and most effective ways to advertise are using yard signs, posting on bulletin boards, and word of mouth. Tell all your friends you’re selling your house, and before too long, the entire world will know. An added bonus is that this is one of the more fun steps to selling a home by owner; that’s because you can get creative with your advertising.
Always be ready
It’s always important to be ready for anything. But that’s not what we mean here. More specifically, we mean you should always be ready for a house showing. If you can be flexible about folks coming and looking at your home, you’re more likely to sell faster. Be sure to use our cleaning list to keep your house always sparkling for the next showing.
The last of our 3 steps to selling a house by owner
Now that we’ve covered all the steps to selling a house by owner, it’s time for you to start your last step — take what you’ve learned and put it into action. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone to sell your house. And when you’re ready for some inspiration, check out this article with our 3 favorite for sale by owner home listings! Good luck selling your house!
