The decision to sell your property wasn't made on the spur of the moment. It may have been spurred by the desire to live in a nicer home, the need to move for a new job or the necessity to get a handle on out-of-control costs. But whatever the reason for the decision, you've got a lot of work ahead of you before you're ready to actually sell your house on the market if you want to get the best possible price for your property. Is this your first time to sell a home?

No problem! Read our tips found on the left-hand panel that will show you how to sell a house.

SELLING ADVICE

Find a Realtor: Find Orange RE

Your best option for selling quickly is to give the job to a professional, and let their experience guide you. Orange RE knows all the ins and outs, as well as what selling strategies work best in your area, either in Cyprus or Europe. They can help you set the right selling price for your property (which is the second most commonly offered piece of advice to help your home sell quickly), offer concrete suggestions for improving the chances of a sale, hook your home into the Multiple Listing Service, and guide you through every step of the selling process.

PROPERTY VALUE: Assess its value

Pricing your home right is the key factor in selling it in a reasonable amount of time. Setting a price too high will make your home undesirable to buyers. Pricing it too low may, in fact, deter buyers who wonder what's wrong with it - or simply not get you a fair price for your property. Now is the time to do your research.

How much should your house sell for? In other words, what's the ‘right’ price? It's the price at which homes similar to yours in the same neighbourhood/area have sold recently.

Orange RE can provide you a reasonable approximate price based on recent sales (transactional evidence) in your area, coupled with the condition and specifics of your house. Orange RE can also make specific suggestions for things you can do to prepare your home to sell for a good price (these restorations are gladly accepted to be sub-contracted to Orange RE subject to increase in the selling price).

SALE COSTS

If you have never sold a house before, you may not be aware of all the associated costs. You will need to know about these costs in order to help you adjust the asking price on your house, as well as to help you estimate the profit that you will realise on the house. If you are counting on the sale of your house to finance the purchase of another, this is especially important.                                          

Major selling costs include:

	Advertising your home, if you're selling it yourself. This could easily run into hundreds of dollars, depending on the methods you choose,
	Agent’s commissions - typically 6% of the selling price (at Orange’s RE this may vary depending on circumstances),
	Closing costs, including attorney and other professional fees,
	Excise taxes on the sale,
	Property taxes and any homeowner association fees.

MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS

If you have been putting off getting the driveway fixed, repairing the roof or any other needed repairs, the time to do it is now, before you put your house on the market. Some repairs, left undone, will prevent your home from selling at all and others will bring your asking price down. Replacing broken roofing tiles, loose gutter shoring and other minor but unsightly problems will make your house that much more saleable (these restorations are accepted to be sub-contracted to Orange RE subject to increase in the selling price).

Selling for the price you want depends on how appealing your house is. We advise you to take a good look at your property, both inside and outside. Trim bushes, mow lawns, plant a flower bed. Something as simple as giving your siding and windows a good scrub down can freshen its look immensely.

Orange RE proposes a few things that could increase the chances of your house selling quickly, at the desired, or even higher, price:

	A fresh coat of paint, or just touching up the trim.
	Freshly painted interior walls.
	New carpet or flooring in common rooms like the kitchen or bathroom.

GARAGE SALE

Get rid of all the accumulated clutter and pocket a little profit at the same time. That collection of kids' bikes in the garage may be a storehouse of memories to you, but to a prospective buyer they're just clutter - and they will make your garage look smaller. Clear away as much clutter as you possibly can. When you're ready to show your house, it should be as close to move-in condition as possible. The more easily a buyer can picture their own family in the house, the more likely they will be to buy.

Orange Construction (Member of the OrangeLeaf Group) is happily accepting to undergo any restorations to make your house viewings more attractive so as the seller achieve the maximum selling price. These restorations however come with a cost that will be negotiated on the selling price.