How to Sell - 2024

Selling a house is a labor-intensive process, even when you work with a skilled and experienced real estate agent. Homeowners must make an array of decisions at every step of the process. Are you going to find and buy a new home before you list? Are you going to move out or live in your home while it’s being shown? Which home improvements does it make sense to invest in prior to listing?

Maybe the most important decision you’ll make is the real estate agent you choose to work with. The agent or company you hire can have a profound impact on not just the sale price but the speed at which your home sells. Taking your time to find skilled and reputable real estate professionals can be the difference between a satisfying home sale you feel good about and a process that leaves you feeling shortchanged.

Understanding the Housing Market

Setting realistic expectations is important if you’re selling a home in 2024. There are both positives and negatives for home sellers in the current market.

On the positive end, housing prices in most major metro areas and much of the country are stable or trending upwards. Low home inventories across most of the country have been good for home sellers. On the other hand, mortgage rates are still considered high compared to the 2010s and early 2020s, which has pushed down demand. 

Every market is different, and the real estate conditions where you live may vary from the national average. It’s important to take the time to look at local data on sites like Redfin to establish what you can expect. Some metrics to consider include:

• Median sale price
• Number of homes sold
• Median days on the market

These stats will include a year-over-year comparison so you can gauge changes and trends. It may also be worth looking at a full year of performance to identify trends that might influence when you want to sell if you have the luxury of waiting. For example, the summer months typically have more activity, meaning homes tend to sell slightly faster and for a higher price.

Granular data, like home sales stats for your zip code, can be more valuable compared to statewide data, especially for figures like median sale price.

Preparing Your Home

There are some things you might want to consider doing in the year or two prior to putting your home on the market. Gradually tackling home improvement projects that you know will be beneficial for selling your home, like changing your landscaping or repainting the interior or exterior of your home, can make the process less stressful.

It’s likely in your best interest to hold off on big-ticket items until you speak with a real estate professional. Replacing a roof can make your home more attractive to prospective buyers, but you won’t see the whole value of the roof replacement reflected in increased home valuation. Whether it makes sense to invest in renovations that won’t result in a full return on investment may depend on the speed with which you want your home to sell.

Staging and Home Prep

Although some homeowners are best served with professional staging, there may be some things you can do on your own to make your home more appealing to prospective buyers. Decluttering, removing personal items like family photos and memorabilia and deep cleaning your home are all ways to make your house a more appealing and inviting place for potential buyers.



Your Choice of Real Estate Professional Matters

Real estate agents take different approaches to the home selling process. The more traditional approach involves putting a garish yard sign in your lawn and running a series of open houses on weekends, or regularly allowing prospective buyers to tour your home on demand.

72SOLD takes a less invasive approach that’s easier on home sellers. Our agents can give you advice on how to position your home for maximum appeal to qualified buyers. We never use yard signs and instead leverage a network of professionals and effective marketing strategies to generate local interest.

The efficacy of our process is backed up by independent studies, with home sellers getting an average median sale price of 7.8 percent over other sales in their local MLS. If you want to learn more about our process and find out if it’s right for you.