If you’re thinking about selling your home in Mesa, AZ, you may feel overwhelmed about the process that lies ahead. This is especially true if you’re a first time home seller. It can be difficult to be certain that you’re making the right choices along the way, but fortunately, the information in our first time home seller guide may prove helpful.

Take a look at the following first time home seller tips to help you plan your home sale as appropriately as possible.

Check Out Our First Time Home Seller Guide

Determine How You’d Like To Sell

Before placing your listing, you’ll need to decide how you plan to sell your home. You could either conduct the sale on your own in a ‘for sale by owner’ arrangement, or you could choose to work with an experienced real estate agent. The second option is the most common being that selling a home in Mesa, AZ without an agent can become complicated in very little time.

In fact, according to Zillow, only 10% of home sellers in 2018 managed to sell their homes without the aid of a real estate agent.

Depending on which choice you make, you’ll want to carefully consider the positives and negatives that may result before making your decision.

For example, if you’re selling your Mesa home by yourself, it’s a good idea to research comparable properties in your area and see what they’ve sold for. You’ll also need to ensure that you have enough time to manage your listing on several MLS sites.

If you’re going to work with an agent, you’ll want to research testimonials about the agents you’re considering. Interview each agent so that you can be sure you’re making the best choice, and once you do, listen to the advice your agent offers.

Get Your Home Ready To Sell

If your home is already in excellent condition, there might not be a lot of work involved in this step. If your home is on the older side, however, you’re going to need to take time to get it ready to sell.

The goal is to make your home as move-in ready as possible so that people who arrive for viewings can see themselves living in it.

It can be difficult to know right away what sort of work your home needs before listing it for sale, so it’s a good idea to schedule a pre-inspection of the property. By having a professional look around your home, you can get a good idea about what improvements need to be made. This way, you’re less likely to run into any surprises along the way.

From there, take a look at which improvements stand to bring in the highest ROI. Improve both the inside and outside of your home to give potential buyers a good impression.

If you don’t have the time or money to make repairs to your home, you could choose to sell the home as-is. With this move, you’ll likely make less money on the sale, but you’ll also save yourself some of the expenses associated with home preparation.

List Your Home for A Realistic Price

It’s normal to attach sentimental value to your home, especially if you have spent a long time in it. However, putting a price tag on the emotional value of your home can be a mistake.

If you’re working with an agent, it will be easier to choose a realistic listing price, but if you’re selling by yourself, you’ll need to keep your neighborhood research in mind.

Often, people do not bother looking at homes that are listed for a price that’s beyond their budget. Because they’re unsure if the home seller is willing to negotiate, they will often skip the overpriced home and find something listed more reasonably.

Choose an asking price that matches your home’s age, quality, and the basic market prices of similar homes in the area.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to be willing to negotiate. It’s relatively common for first time home sellers to receive offers that are less than the asking price.

Display Your Home Properly

One of the most valuable first time home seller tips is to make your home look appealing, both in the MLS photos and in personal viewings.

You can accomplish this by creating high-quality images of the different rooms in your home (as well as a few outside shots). While it’s important to showcase the positive features of your home, it’s also inadvisable to manipulate your photos to hide flaws. Doing so will make potential buyers wary of you, and may lead them to forego looking at your home.

In addition to great listing photos, you’ll want to stage your home for viewings. If you have an agent, he or she can help advise you on how your home should look when people come to view it. If you’re a first time home seller working alone, there are several staging tutorials available online as part of a bigger home seller guide.

Choose the Right Season To List Your Home

In a highly competitive market, a home will likely sell no matter when you decide to list it. However, if you’d like to sell your home in Mesa as quickly as possible, and for the best price, you’ll want to list during a season when buyers are active. This is usually during the spring and summer months. Winter is usually an inactive selling season, being that most people are busy preparing for the holidays.

If you can, wait until the optimal time to list your home for sale. You want your home to make a big impression as soon as you list it, and as such, you should list during a time when the highest number of people are actively searching for homes just like yours.

Think Carefully About Your Offers

When a potential buyer makes an offer on your home, it may be less than what you’re expecting. Before immediately denying the offer, it’s in your best interest as a first time home seller to think about it.

Go over the offer with your real estate agent, get advice about it, and compare the offer you’re receiving with the true value of your home. After giving it some thought, it may become easier to accept an offer and complete the home selling process.

Remember, it’s not abnormal to connect to your home emotionally, so give yourself time to push past the way you feel and give yourself the opportunity to think rationally about the offer you get.

Selling your property in Mesa, AZ can be challenging, especially if you’re trying to sell quickly in a market that’s not performing well. If you’re struggling to sell your home in the Mesa, AZ area, we are here to help. Feel free to give us a call at (480) 305-6688 or send us a message at our Go Fast Offer website.