Selling Your Existing Home
Be Prepared to Sell Your Home

Get a good real estate agent.
It's at times difficult to know which real estate agent will do best for you. Some will remark how many homes they have sold. While that's important, it's more important to know more than just surface variables.

Some questions you should ask your prospective realtor are as follows:

• How will my current home be marketed?
  
• What methods can people use to find the realtor?
  
• Will you work with other real estate agents to help expedite the sale of your home?
  
• Ask them what they think your home is worth and how much should the listing price be. Find out how they compute the worth of your home.

Be observant about your real estate agent. Does the realtor agent pay close attention to details. Do they seem organized. You'll want to be comfortable about your realtor's abilities to maximize your home's selling price.

Getting your home inspected and appraised.
You'll want to be fully ready to sell your home. You don't want to have your prospective buyers asking you if your home was inspected or if your home passed the inspection and have to tell them that it wasn't done. Your home must be inspected before the final sale of a home takes place. Better to take care of that first thing.

You may also want to get your home appraised to ensure that you are selling the home for what it is worth and also according to what other similar homes in your area are selling for. You can't sell a home for $200,000 when a similar home and property is selling for $165,000. The same is true for a home selling at too low of a price. An appraiser will be more objective. However, be sure to point out the important upgrades and added features of your home to the appraiser.

Factors in pricing your home.

LOCATION:
Your home's physical location has lots to do with your selling price. Two homes of similar size and features may sell for very different prices due to the overall quality of the area, town, village, or city they are located in.

Immediate locations also influence the worth of the home. Remote locations are not as desirable as closer in-town locations providing quick access to stores and services. A home in a culdesac will be worth more than a home on a busy street. Visual surroundings like back yards facing a forested area, mature trees on the lot, or nearby streams can enhance the home's market value.

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