How to Sell Your Home for More Money: 2024 Edition

The best way to get more money for your house is to work with a real estate agent — specifically, a top agent in your area. At HomeLight, we’ve learned that working with the right agent can significantly impact your bottom line. Our data shows that across the United States, the top 5% of real estate agents sell homes for as much as 10% more than the average agent.

So, when you’re researching local agents, a key statistic you’ll want to pay attention to is their sale-to-list ratio. This ratio indicates how accurately they price homes and how much of the seller’s asking price they deliver. The higher their sale-to-list ratio is, the better they are at getting more money for your house.

Be sure to interview at least a few agents to make sure that you and your agent are aligned on any number of factors important to you. We’ve compiled a list of important questions to ask here.

Make cost-effective upgrades and repairs

A pre-listing inspection isn’t required, but it’s in your best interest to have one done if you’re trying to get the most money you can for your property. On average, a pre-listing inspection costs around $340, but it can vary depending on market conditions, size of the home, age of the home, and location.

Minor problems like a leaking faucet or a door that doesn’t close right don’t impact your property’s value. But, you don’t know what hidden problems the buyer’s home inspection could reveal. If there are serious issues, the buyer could walk away entirely.

In terms of upgrades, we recommend choosing projects with a high return on investment.

Did you know that if you deep clean and declutter your house, your home’s sale value could increase by an average of $8,000? That sounds crazy, but when you think about it, it’s pretty apparent why. Buyers don’t want to buy a dirty, cluttered house. It’s as simple as that.

As you’re cleaning, you should go through all your stuff and cull the excess. The name of the game here is to remove the personal touches and clutter so that you’re presenting a home that buyers can see themselves living in, and not you.

One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when selling their homes is pricing them too high. Even if you invest a bunch of money on repairs and upgrades, your home will only be valued for so much.

Appraisers go by what the numbers tell them, not by how impressive your upgrades are, so they’ll evaluate your home against nearby comps to determine your home’s appraised value.

To come up with an accurate price, your real estate agent will prepare a comparative market analysis (CMA). This analysis compares recent sales of homes similar to yours in location, size, condition, and features. Based on that CMA, your agent will help set a realistic price that won’t turn off would-be buyers.

When a house is professionally staged, people will see your house in all its glory — with the right accents, decor, and furniture. Buyers can envision themselves living in your home without getting distracted by your design style, photographs, and clutter.

Once the house is staged, a professional photographer will take photos of your house to show off the best features. They know how to choose angles that flatter a space without making the room look awkward. In addition, they’ll eliminate dark shadows by filling the room with as much light as possible, either by opening the curtains or using professional lighting setups.

Along with staging and professional photographs, you’ll want to talk to your agent about how they’ll market your home. Will they rely solely on the MLS, or will they use social media, too? Are they going to have open houses, or is that off the table? Besides a “For Sale” sign on the front lawn, will they mail out postcards or put an ad in the local newspaper? All these things matter, and a top agent will have a stellar marketing strategy.

Be prepared to negotiate

Once the offers start rolling in, you need to be willing to negotiate on some things and know when to stand firm. A buyer is looking for any chance to lower the price, especially after the home inspection. While you may want to say no to the buyer’s requests, you need to be willing to compromise; otherwise, buyers will dig in their heels and ultimately result in a stalemate. As with most aspects of the home selling process, a top agent will have experience in this area to help you sell your home for more money.

Connect with a Top Agent

It takes just two minutes to match clients with the best real estate agents, who will contact you and guide you through the process. To connect with an agent, simply tell us a little bit about your property (single-family, condo, townhouse, mobile home, commercial, or vacant lot) and how soon you’re looking to sell.

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Maximize your home’s value

Your home is very likely your most valuable asset, so, understandably, you’d want to get as much money as you can for it when you sell. You’ve spent years taking care of your little slice of the world, and who knows how much money you’ve poured into it.

Working with a top agent is key to knowing how to sell your house for more money. They can walk you through the ins and outs of selling your house, increasing its value, and much more. They’ll talk you out of overpricing your house or making unnecessary repairs that won’t give you a high return on your investment.

Your home doesn’t need to be the best or best-priced property on the market; it just needs to be able to compete with the homes nearby. So, if your neighbor has a comparable house to yours but they’ve upgraded their kitchen and bathrooms and invested in professional staging, then you’ll need to do at least as much as your neighbor has done if you want to maximize value.

Header Image Source: (Erik Mclean / Unsplash)