Thinking about building a new home but need to sell your current home first? You're not alone. Selling your current home while planning your next one comes with a lot of moving pieces, but getting organized early can make the process much easier. Here are a few things to think about before putting your home on the market.
Start With the Right Repairs and Updates
Before putting your home on the market, walk through it with a critical eye. Not every repair or upgrade is worth making before you sell. Focus on the things that could make a meaningful difference to a buyer, and talk with your real estate professional about what is worth addressing in your specific market. The goal isn't to make your home perfect. It's to make smart updates that help your home show well.
Know Your Home's Market Value
Understanding what your home could realistically sell for is an important first step. A real estate professional can help you determine your home's current market value and estimate what you could potentially walk away with after your mortgage, closing costs and other selling expenses. Having a realistic estimate of your proceeds can also help you understand your budget for your next home.
Declutter and Deep Clean
You don't necessarily need to make major changes to make your home feel more appealing. Start by decluttering. Clear off countertops, simplify shelves and closets, and remove anything that makes rooms feel smaller than they are. Then give everything a good deep clean. A clean, uncluttered home can help buyers picture themselves living there.
Make Your Home Feel Spacious
You don't have to have a huge home to make it feel spacious. Rearranging furniture, removing oversized pieces and opening up walking paths can make rooms feel larger and more functional. Pay attention to the first impression buyers get when they walk through the door. Small changes can make a big difference.
Consider Staging
Depending on your home, professional staging may be worth considering. The goal is to help buyers see the potential of each space and understand how they could use it. Your real estate professional can help determine whether staging makes sense for your home and what areas would benefit most.
Think About Timing
One of the biggest questions when selling your current home and building a new one is timing. How long could your home take to sell? When will your new home be ready? What happens if the timing doesn't line up perfectly? Your real estate professional can help you understand current market conditions and develop a realistic timeline. And before you put your home on the market, think through where you'll live if you sell before your new home is ready. Would you stay with family? Rent temporarily? Find another short-term option? Having a plan can make the transition much less stressful.
And You May Not Have to Wait to Start Building
If selling your current home is the only thing keeping you from moving forward with a new home, there may be another option. Creative Homes is currently accepting contingencies for buyers who have a home to sell. That means you may be able to start planning your new home while your current home is still part of the equation. Every situation is different, so our team can help you understand what may be possible based on your circumstances.
You don't have to have every detail figured out before you reach out. If you're thinking about building and need to sell your current home first, let's talk. Reach out to us today! We're here to help.
We had an exceptional experience with Creative Homes and would recommend them to anyone. Not only did we get a well-built home, but the customer service exceeded our expectations. From our first meeting, to well-after we closed on our new home, the Creative Homes team made us feel like we were family. We already know we want Creative Homes to build our next home (in many, many years)!
It has been four months since we have moved into our home and I cannot put into words how thankful we are that we built with Creative. They’re the type of company you feel like once you move in you want to invite over for dinner and drinks once a month! In conversation with other friends and family who have built new construction with other companies, I truly believe that Creative is unique in that!
We had an incredible experience with our build by Creative. We LOVE our new home, & are so grateful for such an easy-going process from start to finish!
The building process was so fun and easy; every week it was so exciting to see progress on our home. The design studio made for an easy experience when picking all the materials for our home. From start to completion, their attention to detail was phenomenal. Creative Homes has a solid team of experts and were always there to answer any question we would have. There is no doubt that I would recommend Creative Homes to anyone building a home.
Creative Homes put together our dream home! We were so nervous about the process and making the wrong decisions, but they were there to make everything turn out perfect. They went above and beyond to make our needs met!
