You say you want to sell your house and cash out or upgrade.  You say you want to build a dream home and use all that hard earned equity.  You think if its priced right and well kept and in the best school district, it will be a snap.  Put the pipe down and lets just clear the air.  And after you have considered how difficult selling your home can be, only then should you consider putting your house up for sale.  

Maintenance – All of those items you have ignored for years including the lose siding needs to be repaired.  At the inspection it will be discovered and the buyer will ask that it be repaired or compensate them for it.  Just do it or have it done and be ready to say with confidence “well maintained” in the online listing.

Cleaning – Everyday before you leave is the least of it.  No more laying around in a trashed house for the weekend.  It is important to deep clean on your normal cleaning routine now.   In a good market buyers sometimes call and want to see a property fairly quickly so reassembling the couch and kitchen should not be a last minute task.  As your Realtor I would hope that if your serious about selling you would be able to accommodate a short notice showing on occasion.  Are you ready for that?

Accessibility – About that short term showing, a Buyer is out front!!  Now this is rare and really inconsiderate but if a buyer was out looking at the competition and stumbled onto your house, I think I would want to be in the mix.  Be ready to show at the drop of a hat or risk missing a good buyer.  Then they need to get in after that.  Second and third showings, inspections, contractors and decorators are most likely going to want to do walk thru’s during the escrow period.   I have had buyers walk away from deals because the sellers were hard to deal with on these things.  Be a little flexible and at the last minute when you need a favor it will be a lot easier to obtain.

Price – I know you have made double payments and refinanced to pay that mortgage down, but the equity may have also disappeared and your about to get pissed.  Buyers do not care what number you expect.  They are going off of area comps and condition of home.  Thats it.  Many people buy a house and make payments for 10 years and still have no equity.  I know it hurts but if you have to have that money and the market is not there don’t waste your time.  Sit back for a year and save a bit more cash.

I make people mad sometimes when I tell them the reality of realty but here’s the point.  If you go into this process with an expectation that can’t be met, nobody wins.  Let down and disappointment is never a good recipe for success.  And from a Realtors standpoint, we make our money when and only when you close the sale.  To spend a bunch of my time marketing a property only to find out the seller is not serious or to bring a buyer through and be negotiating against la la land, would not make sense.  On the other hand if you are ready for this and can handle the headache of selling your home, hiring a good agent that can walk you thru the process is what you need to do.  Listen to them and count on them to give you good honest data to sell your home.

-curt