Thinking of putting your house on the market next year?

I am beginning to get calls from people who are thinking of putting their house on the market next year. Their question is usually " What should I do now?".

Call a Realtor today. There are two reasons for doing this:

• You can get opinions and suggestions on what needs to be done to get your house ready to sell.

Your Realtor should go through your house with a fine tooth comb. Talk to you about what you are planning on fixing, and make you aware of problems you may have overlooked.

• You can get an idea of what your home might sell for today. That gives you a good starting point, and with some people an eye opening experience. More than likely you will discover your home would sell today for less than you thought.
• You also get an idea of what your Realtor is going to expect from you to sell your house. A good Realtor will care enough to take time to give you good advice, create a to do list, and even contact contractors and others on your behalf to help you get the jobs completed. Often I even meet the contractors for the homeowner due to work or understanding what needs to be done.
• Your Realtor should bring all paper work that you will be signing so you can read them, ask questions, and be prepared when the time comes to list or purchase a home.
• You need to know what houses have been selling for, how many days have they been on the market, how many have been taken off the market without selling. What are the trends in your neighborhood? What does your Realtor see happening in the next six months that would change the price you are given today?

After getting all of this information you have several choices:

1. Stay where you are and don't do anything (Not a good idea!)
2. Start to get your house ready to sell! De-clutter, paint, fix things that are broken, and update items to add appeal to your home.

It may take time to get your home ready to show from both the inside and outside and you may wonder if the time and energy is worth it. But when your house sells it will all be worth the effort you put out!