Once you have made the decision to sell your home, you must prepare to list it on the market for sale.
Listing your home for sale involves a number of steps, but before you even begin the process of cleaning and repairing your home to sell, you should develop a detailed home selling plan. Think about the reasons why you are selling your home. Consider when and why you will need to sell your home because these factors play a role in determining your listing price. Also, the market has a significant impact on both the length of time it takes to sell a home as well as the selling price, so it is a good idea to plan ahead when listing your home. Even though a seller cannot control the market, there are other facets of the selling process that can be controlled.

Other than those who are highly experienced with the process of listing real estate, most home owners turn to a listing agent to sell their homes as quickly as possible. This is because qualified real estate agents are well-practiced in employing strong marketing tactics for their clients. One of the most important influential factors for selling a home is the listing’s level of exposure. It should be well-advertised and visible to potential buyers. Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate agents specialize in listing homes for sale and are able to streamline the entire process while increasing your chances of closing a deal on your home.

Simply put, the more exposure a property listing has, the higher the chances of attracting willing and able buyers. For this reason, utilizing the right resources can help you go a long way. A Multiple Listing Service (MLS), for instance, provides a comprehensive record of properties that are currently listed on the market for sale. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate agents use MLS to help sell your home. A Multiple Listing Service is essentially a database that listing agents use to effectively gather information regarding homes for sale. As soon as your home is entered into the MLS system, thousands of potential buyers’ agents will immediately have access to the listing, which will include important data regarding your home. Without access to the MLS system, a seller must rely on advertising tactics such as yard signs or advertisements in local newspapers, neither of which will provide the amount of exposure that the MLS system does.

Most of the avenues for advertising your home (e.g. newspaper ads, home listing magazines, etc.) offer a limited amount of space within which you can describe your home. The MLS system, on the other hand, can provide everything a potential buyer may want to know. The listing price, age of the home, square footage of each room, school system, and much more can all be ascertained from a MLS listing. When listing your home for sale with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, your real estate agent will utilize a Multiple Listing Service in addition to a variety of other advertising mediums such as home listing magazines, internet listings websites and local newspaper advertisements.

Trying to sell a home without access to the MLS system is like trying to sell your vehicle with only a “For Sale” sign on the rear window. Few people will see the sign and even fewer will take the time to write down the number. Using a Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate agent who have access to a MLS system will give your home the best chance of selling in a reasonable time frame and at a price that you will be satisfied with.