Real Estate Tips for Senior Citizens
Trying to navigate the world of real estate can be difficult for anyone, senior citizen or not. Here are some tips to help you when selling your home.
So, you want to sell your house. Congratulations on taking that very first step.
Now you have a lot of decisions in front of you. The act of selling a house has more moving steps than some people realize. It can easily get overwhelming if you don’t know what you are doing.
You will want to create a timeline for the things you need to do in order to sell your home.
Find an Real Estate Agent
First things first, finding a real estate agent.
You don’t want just any real estate agent, though. You need a real estate agent who understands what your struggles are and is willing and able to answer any question you might have. Make sure this person is a professional with plenty of experience, and not just your neighbor’s brother who just got into the business (nothing against him). May we be so bold as to recommend our services.
You could try selling it by yourself to save some money, but that is more work for less profit than you might think. Having someone with the experience and the connections can make a world of difference. Having that person also be uniquely suited to help senior citizens with selling and moving, like a senior move manager, can be even more helpful.
Once you have an agent you can outline the rest of the plan with them. This includes getting rid of unnecessary clutter, getting the inspection, tackling repairs, and getting your house ready to show to potential buyers.
Get an Inspection
The inspection is a critical part of both buying and selling a home. Doing one before you sell can cost a few hundred dollars, but it can save you money by preventing buyers from demanding more money during negotiations.
Inspectors will look at your:
- Electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling systems
- Windows, ceilings, walls, doors and floors
- Attic, visible insulation and roof
- Foundation, structural elements and basement
Knowing ahead of time any issues your home has given you the time to fix the big ones before buyers come along. Your agent can help you prioritize any repairs that are needed. That way you can take care of the big-ticket items without breaking your budget and save money in the end.
Now that the house is structurally ready, it is time to tidy up the inside.
Time to Clean Up
We have already talked about decluttering. There are going to be things that you can live without between now and when your home sells. Perhaps they are things you were planning on replacing anyway, or maybe they are too large to fit into your new home. You will need to go ahead and find places to sell them, while also packing up all the items you want to keep.
Once you have decluttered, it is time to clean. If you want someone to buy your house, you want to make sure everything is in perfect shape. Clean all of the hard surfaces, fix any paint jobs, and deep clean your carpets. Fix everything so that it looks tidy and keep it that way.
Your agent may want you to stage your home. This involves arranging things in such a way that it best displays your home. You want the potential buyers to be able to picture themselves living in your home. You want your home picture perfect. The more room there is for people to picture themselves, the more people you will have coming to look at your house.
Your agent will help you schedule and prepare for showings as well as listing your home. They will also walk you through the negotiations and the signing of the contract. You’ll want to pay attention to the purchase price, the closing date, any special allowances for costs, and any contingency details/deadlines.
It is good to start working on packing before you have closed on the house. This will give you more time to get everything together in an organized manner, so when it comes time to unpack you can actually find things.
There is no guarantee for how long the process of selling your home is going to take, so you are going to have to be patient. Thankfully, you don’t have to go through it alone.
