Selling a home is fraught with chances to get it wrong. And when you’re talking about putting one of your life’s biggest investments on the market, each step must be carefully considered, because mistakes can be expensive.

From hiring the right agent, to hitting the sweet spot on pricing, to staging your rooms so buyers can imagine living there, home selling is both an art and a science. The agents you’ll find at Long & Foster are here to help you realize the highest return on your investment.

Thinking of DIYing your home sale? On the surface, it can seem like a good way to save on the real estate commission, typically around 6% of the sales price. But statistics show FSBO (for sale by owner) sellers are likely to get much less for their homes.

Agents are trained, licensed and motivated to get results for their clients. That’s why 89% of sellers choose to work with an agent, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2019 Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers. FSBOs in the report were found to have sold at a much lower median price than the homes with agent representation – $200,000 versus $280,000.

If you’re thinking of selling soon or just want to know more about the process to be prepared for the future, start by checking out the Long & Foster Home Seller’s Guide. There, you will find important information about hiring an agent, setting the price, steps to a successful sale and more.

Here are three suggested preliminary measures for getting ready to sell:

Find out the market value of your home. A good start is longandfoster.com, at the site’s home value calculator, which uses several popular estimating tools to come up with a range. Then you can easily connect with an agent for a free, custom analysis that will factor in what’s special about your home and look at comparable sales in your neighborhood.

Choose an agent who is well-connected. For example, an agent at Long & Foster has around 10,000 agent colleagues among whom to network, to widen the search for a buyer, plus global resources for marketing luxury properties, with Luxury Portfolio International, Christie’s International Real Estate and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World.

Start decluttering and fixing anything that’s broken or worn. If you’ve lived in the home for a while, chances are you have accumulated a lot of stuff you no longer need. Clearing out space helps buyers envision their own belongings there.

Even if you aren’t considering putting your house on the market soon, it can be a good idea to talk with an agent about any changes you might be thinking about making, to see what renovations make the most sense in your area.

This is the first in a series of articles about selling your home. Read additional posts in the series here.