by Victoria Hunter

Created on: December 24, 2009

Planning for great results. That’s an interesting sentence. It’s not “hoping for great results,” it is a call to action: PLAN for great results. The successful sale of a home takes a plan: one step after the other. If you’ve decided to put your home on the market, the very next thing you need to do is come up with a plan.

Will you be selling the house yourself or use a real estate agent? There are pros and cons to both methods, and it’s something to seriously think about. You will save a lot of money if you sell the home “by-owner.” This type of sale isn’t particularly difficult to do. There are companies out there who will practically hold your hand during the entire process. It does, however, take up a lot of your time. So, if saving money isn’t as important as saving time, then you’ll need to hire a real estate agent.

There we go, the first step of your plan.

The next step is to get the house in order. That means, unfortunately, cleaning. And, not just surface cleaning. Folks that look at your house will be opening closets, drawers, even the refrigerator. So, a good, deep cleaning is in order. Remove everything from every cupboard and closet and drawer. While you have all the contents out, on the floor, or the counter, get rid of a lot of it. No, you don’t have to throw the stuff away, just box it up and get it out of the house.  The whole idea is to make your house look clean and big. Remove any items from closets and cupboards that take up a lot of space. Even if it’s a small cupboard, the fewer items that are in there, the larger it will seem. Just pack up those big roasting pans and any other over-sized “stuff,” and store them.

Step two of the plan: done.

Now it’s time to either put the house on the market yourself or hire a real estate agent. If you decide to hire an agent, please, do not listen to anyone that says that you, as the client, need to be “cooperating with the needs of the Realtor.” I’m sorry, I don’t care if it’s the biggest buyer’s market ever, when you are paying someone, thousands of dollars to get your home sold, they better darn well know what they are doing without your help. You are the client. The Realtor works FOR you, not with you. If you can’t place your home in his or her hands, and go on with your life knowing that the home will be marketed, shown and finally sold, you need to find another agent. Furthermore, this is not a friendship. It is an employer-employee relationship. You are not hiring a Realtor to find rapport, or to become your friend, you are hiring him or her to sell your home. This is a business relationship and it’s important to keep it on that level. You are the boss.

There you go, the first few steps in your plan for great results. The rest is up to you. Good luck!

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