5 Action Steps After You List Your Home

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5 Action Steps After You List Your Home
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• Youve found a real estate agent, settled on a
  sale price, and have your home listed on the
  market. Whats next? You may be tempted to take
  the gloves off and treat yourself to some
  well-deserved RR, but dont pop the champagne
  just yet. There are still a few important items
  to tick off the to-do-list before you reach for
  that ice-cold beer. Make sure you have these five
  action steps covered after you list your home
  then you can put your feet up. Promise!

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1. Fix Anything Thats Broken
It may not have been a priority beforehand, but
now that youve listed your home on the market,
its not too late to search high and low to
ensure that you fix anything thats broken. That
piece of flashing that keeps popping out, the
missing paint on a windowsill, the rickety drawer
in the kitchen youve been putting up with for
years If a seller walks through your house and
spots petty things like this, then theyre likely
going to ask themselves how well youve
maintained the rest of your place. If youve
become accustomed to the way things are, try
asking a friend to do a walk-through for you. A
fresh set of eyes will spot the little things
that slip through your radar.
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2. Tidy Up

• If youre a clutter-bug, then youll know exactly
  what I mean when I mention this one. After
  listing your home for sale on the market, you
  MUST tidy up and make it appeal to the widest
  audience possible. Ideally, you want a potential
  buyer to feel like they could move in straight
  away with their things. Those collectible china
  dolls, the antique foot rest, and the array of
  family photos youve got hanging up as
  decorations make a prospectives buyers ability
  to imagine your home as theirs that much more
  difficult. Once you list your home, if you
  havent already done so, get a box and fill it
  with anything you see that could be too personal
  or make your house seem messy photos,
  memorabilia, books, etc. Remember, you want your
  home to look like a hotel room neutral and
  appealing to the majority.

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3. Check Your Insurance Cover

• When word gets out that youve listed your home
  and a herd of buyers come knocking on the door,
  you want to be sure youre covered if they decide
  to go and have an accident and sue. Be sure to
  check your insurance policy covers you for
  liability such as accidental injury. Its also a
  good idea to check that there arent any obvious
  hazards around your home while youre at it.
  Again, if youre unsure all your bases are
  covered, call a friend to give their opinion and
  to see if they can spot that booby trap that
  youve been dodging out of habit for years.

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4. Prepare to be Accommodating

• Once youve listed your home, you need to be
  comfortable with putting your host with the
  most hat on. Ever walked into a nice hotel, only
  to be greeted by a rude and obnoxious butler or
  bell-boy? You want to avoid making the same
  mistake that bell-boy did with your home. Pretend
  youre welcoming an old friend for a weekend
  visit. Greet them into your home with warmth and
  kindness, and make it show through the
  presentation and feel of your home for visitors.
  Remember, if a buyer wants to have an inspection,
  then you need to as accommodating as possible,
  even if its inconvenient. Its short term pain
  for huge potential house-sale gain.

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5. Find a Good Attorney

• Depending on which state you reside, its common
  for a house sale to be handled through escrow. In
  many states, attorneys act as the escrow agent
  and title inspector. Elsewhere, escrow
  transactions may be conducted by licensed escrow
  agents who often are affiliated with or who own a
  title insurance company. So once your agent (or
  you) list your home on the market, its important
  to find a good attorney to act on your behalf and
  perform the property transaction, finalizing the
  sale. If youre going through a property agent,
  it may be worthwhile discussing this with them to
  see if they can recommend a reputable attorney
  theyve used in the past.

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• Selling your home is, in many cases, the biggest
  investment decision youll make in a lifetime
  outside of buying it in the first place. Make
  sure youve covered all possible bases after you
  list your home, and ensure youre able to
  maximize your profit through a combination of
  tidiness, readiness, and good old fashioned
  hospitality. Remember, you only get one shot to
  impress, so make it count.

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Questions?More Information?

• Website http//michaelputnam.com/
• Michael Putnam
• info_at_michaelputnam.com
• 703-928-6514
•  
• Sources
• http//www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2013/03/12/t
  he-8-top-home-selling-mistakes-you-should-avoid/2/
  2715e4857a0b91a791bb721b
• http//www.investopedia.com/articles/mortgages-rea
  l-estate/08/home-seller-mistakes-selling-house.asp
  
• https//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conveyancing
• http//michaelputnam.com/5-action-steps-after-you-
  list-your-home/