So, you’re ready to sell your home. Start the process months before you expect to put it on the market so you can make home improvements, declutter, and organize your life. The steps you can take to sell your home stress-free.

10 Stress-Free Home Sales Strategies

You never know how quickly a home will sell, so you need to be prepared just in case it goes fast! Once you have a contract, the deal can close in as little as 30 days. So, plan ahead even before you put the house on the market.

1. Declutter

First, declutter your home! Less is more when a buyer walks into your house. Put away anything you don’t immediately need, only keeping out essential items.

Also, go through every room including your closets and storage. Declutter every space.

I tell sellers to make three piles for clothing, decorations, and furnishings. Put anything you want to keep in pile one, pile two gets thrown away, and pile three goes to charity.

If you haven’t worn the clothing in six months, or haven’t used the decoration for six months, throw it in the trash or give it to charity.

Start this process several weeks before you put your home on the market. Go room by room, and be realistic about that six-month timeframe. At the end of every day, load up your car with the bags for charity.

Afterward, your load is lighter, and your home shows brighter.

2. Find a Realtor® who’s invested in your move

Meet with your Realtor®, before you hire them to sell your home. Ask them if they’ve sold other homes in your neighborhood or city. Find out their involvement in the listing process. Do they have open houses, how do they market your home, and what additional services can they offer?

My partner and I offer FREE home staging with every listing. That makes a huge difference! Homes sell faster and for more money. See the difference between before and after photos from Lee’s Summit area homes we staged.

When you’re selling a home, your Realtor® will tell you which improvements to make and which you can ignore. Real estate agents have a network of contractors who usually offer fair prices and quick service! Tap into this valuable resource so you can get your home on the market quicker.

Personality drives the relationship between you and your Realtor®. Make sure you mix well! As HGTV points out, you want a Realtor® who can manage you and the market!

3. Make your home stand out with home staging

Home staging features the best points of a home and minimizes its downfalls. An Accredited Staging Professional like myself can make a room feel larger with accessories!

In addition to your home staging professional’s tricks, homeowners play a role in staging. You need to depersonalize and declutter your space.

Nearly half of buyers’ agents say home staging affects their buyer’s view of a home, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Why not hire a Kansas City Realtor® who gives you “Moore” for your money, with free home staging?

4. Keep your home show ready

In a seller’s market, you can expect a lot of showings! Sometimes at a moment’s notice.

You want your home to be show-ready when a buyer wants to see it. That’s how decluttering helps. There’s less to pick up when you have a showing!

Don’t leave for work in the morning, without picking up the home. Just in case you get a showing in the middle of the day.

The first two weeks a home hits the market, are the most important. So, make sure tidying up your home is an essential part of every day.

5. Be realistic about the sales price

If you’re selling, be realistic about the price. That starts with the list price for your home. Ask your Kansas City Realtor®, for a list of comparable sales so you can see the average selling price for your neighborhood.

Of course, everyone wants to make money, but you may make less if you overprice your home. It’s better to list a home right the first time than to make adjustments once it hits the market.

Homes that are priced right, sell quicker and for more money!

6. Get your pets ready for the move

Moving is stressful for humans, which is why I’m writing this article so you can de-stress! Imagine what it’s like for an animal who can’t speak!

Pets are an important part of most families, so remember them during the moving process. I’m an animal lover, so I understand!

Pack your home slowly, so all the familiar items in a home don’t disappear at once. Keep your pet on his routine as much as possible. On moving day, crate your pet or send him to doggy daycare. If you use a crate, put it in a back room. That way the animal won’t see the commotion of movers coming in and out of your home.

Learn the 10 ways you can prepare your pet for moving!

7. Compromise

When you’re selling a home, you want the best sales price! Compromise is tough for some sellers, whether you stand to make a lot of money or lose money. That’s because you’re emotionally attached to your home and financially invested in it.

Set aside the emotion, and compromise. That’s important even in a seller’s market. If you don’t compromise, you may lose a home sale.

While compromise is essential, you also need a good strategy. A Realtor® will help you strike a balance between the two.

8. Don’t get too emotional

Moving is emotional, whether it’s a planned or an unexpected move. If it’s long distance, there may be added emotion as you’re leaving behind your friends and family.

Focus on the excitement you have for the future, rather than the past.

It’s hard to compromise when you’re emotionally attached to a property. While emotion is part of being human, don’t let it overwhelm you or cloud your judgment.

9. Expect the unexpected

When you’re selling a home, always be prepared for the unexpected. That may be financing that falls through on the buyer’s end, a home sale that falls through due to the home inspection, or a delay in closing.

The home buying process involves many steps, and you have to clear each hurdle one at a time.

Expect the unexpected, so you’re not disappointed when the home sale doesn’t go as planned.

10. Real estate isn’t perfect

When you’re selling, you want to time the market right. However, don’t get caught up in that because the reality is – there’s never a right time to buy or sell.

There are pros and cons to every real estate market. Sometimes you can’t wait for the right interest rates or comparable sales prices. Life happens, and you just have to sell!

HGTV suggests focusing on “why” you’re selling your home, and encourages home sellers even to write it down. Write down all the reasons that are motivating you to put your home on the market, and look back at those when you get too emotionally involved in the process, face a tough compromise, or the unexpected happens with the sale.

If you have a plan in place, you’ll make it through every type of market. Let me know how I can help!