Before Marketing Your Home, Get It Appraised
Putting your home on the market can be a difficult decision, especially if the original plan was to live there ‘forever’. In this kind of emotional case, you may be tempted to ask more for your home than what it’s objectively worth, or you may market your home in a way that’s less appealing to potential buyers.
But, if you’re looking to sell your home in a timely manner and wish gain a good return on your investment, your best option would be to conduct a comprehensive property appraisal before putting your home on the market.
An appraisal may be conducted by an agent themselves, or a qualified third party, with the view of impartially investigating your home in order to determine its real market value. Things like property size, age, and general maintenance are all taken into account in the appraisal. A good appraiser will also point out issues like water damage, mould or other health risks, as well as the pros and cons of the interior and exterior layout and design.
They will then compare and contrast your home with other similar properties in the area, and take into consideration what buyers are looking for. From there, they’ll give you a realistic range upon which you can base your final selling price. You can also use the property appraisal to determine what, if any, upgrades you should make before putting your home on the market.
Having your property correctly appraised can significantly reduce the length of time your home needs to be marketed. You’re also far more likely to get (very close to) your asking price. It makes sense, then, to get your home appraised and, in the process, ease some of the difficulties associated with saying goodbye to your forever home.