Do you have a plan? 

I have been told over and over that I need to plan, unless I plan to fail.  This is important advice in all aspects of your life.  You have to plan your family time, business time, and personal time.  If you do not then usually you do not get to have any personal time.  Most of us realize that we need to plan, but who has time?

Not planning has its consequences.  Mostly these consequences just mean more stress in your life, but when it comes to selling your home, it can cost you thousands.  If you fail to plan the sale of your home many surprises can pop up.  Planning the sales process can also include planning for improvements or repairs. Planning the timeline is import, as well what will you do if the home sells early.

Let's start with a quick sale.  This seems like a great problem to have, however if you're not prepared it can be costly.  Let's use this example.

Home comes on the market and the seller expects it to take 4-6 months to sell.  The family is transferring to Dallas Texas in 6 months.  After two weeks on the market they receive an offer, but need to close in 30 days.  The sellers are not sure where they will  live so they ask for a closing date after 90 days.  The result:  The buyer's leave to find another house.  No other offers come in and after 6 months the sellers have lowervered the price of their home by $40,000.  The seller's husband transfers to Dallas for the job, and the family is now living in two locations.

This can happen and does happen every year.  Sellers need to prepare for every contingency.  Do you know what your local rental market is doing? 

Plan on a home inspection; most buyers will get one and a Home Inspector will always find something.  I suggest getting a pre-inspection.  Find the deficiencies and fix them before you offer your home for sale.  If you can make these repairs on your time, it will typically cost you less money.  The end result is a home in better repair that may sell for more.

Cosmetic repairs are a good idea.  Take a good look at you walls and trim work.  Do they need to washed, or touched up with paint?  These little marks have accumulated over the years and you may not even notice them.  I know it take several trips through a house before I notice ever little mark.  When a buyer walks through a house they may not mention everything they see.  They may not even take notice of many items.  However they will compare condition to other homes, and the home in the best condition will most often win out.

By planning and then taking care of these most often little fixes, you eliminate much of the stress associated with selling a home.  Be prepared, plan and your sale will most likely be successful. 

A good Realtor can assist you in this process and provide you with good adice along the way.