Sellers Guide

Deciding to sell your house can be a lengthy decision, usually spurred on by any number of factors such as perhaps the desire to live in a more appealing home, the need to relocate due to work commitments, or simply to save on maintenance costs. Whatever the reason for this decision, much work needs to be undertaken before placing the house on the market if you want to get the best possible price for the property. Many various aspects need to be taken into account, especially for first time property sellers. Below are a collection of tips for first time home sellers.

Assess The Value Of Your Property

Finding a reasonable price for you home is a major factor in selling it in a reasonable amount of time. Asking for a price which is too high, will result in the property being unattractive to prospective buyers. Pricing it too low will , in fact, cause keen buyers to suspect possible problems, or simply not get you a fair price for your property. This is why it is important to do some research before listing your property.

What sort of price should you ask for your property? Or perhaps a better question to ask, "What's the right price?" A good first step would be to determine the market value of your property - check to see the prices of properties similar to yours in the same neighborhood, which have been sold recently. One option would be to use one of the many online home valuation services to assist you in finding out exactly what your home is worth before selling it.

Determine the Cost of Selling a House

If this is your first time selling a property, you may not be totally aware of the related costs. Knowing about these various costs will assist greatly in determining how much your asking price for the property should be adjusted, and will also help you to estimate the profit that you will make on the house. If you are depending on the sale of your property to finance another purchase, this is especially important. The above mentioned costs may include:

• Advertising your home, if you're selling it yourself. This could easily run into thousands of rands, depending on the methods you choose.
• Closing costs, including attorney and other professional fees.
• Excise taxes on the sale.
• Property taxes and any homeowner association fees.

Any minor repairs which have been put on hold should be taken care of immediately before putting the house on the market. Some repairs. left undone will prevent the home being sold, and will eventually result in lower offers for the property.  Replacing broken roofing tiles, loose guttering and other minor but unsightly problems will make your house that much more appealing to prospective buyers.

Get Your House Looking Its Best

Selling your home for the price you want depends on how appealing your house is. Take some time to perform an inspection of your house, both inside and out. Trim bushes, mow lawns, plant a flower bed. Something as simple as washing the windows or giving the driveway a good clean, can freshen up the look of the property a great deal.

Here are some other things that increase the chances of your house selling quickly:

• A fresh coat of paint, or just touching up around the skirtings.
• Freshly painted interior walls.
• New carpet or flooring in high traffic areas and common rooms like the kitchen or bathroom.

Have A Garage Sale

Gather up all the accumulated clutter, and earn some extra money at the same time. Things in the garage like old children's bicycles may remind you of pleasant memories, but to prospective buyers they're just clutter - and they will make your garage look smaller. Eliminate as much clutter as possible. When your house is ready for showing, it should be as close to move-in condition as possible. The more easily a buyer can picture their own family in the house, the more likely they will be to buy.