Here are some important steps you should take before you put your house on the market: 1. Home Loan Approval for your next HomeYou don’t want to be signing a contract to sell your house before knowing if you are qualified to buy another. Your financial circumstances may have changed since your last purchase and you may not qualify for the loan amount you seek. You’ll get a good idea of what you can afford by getting a pre-approval before selling your house.

Determine Fair Market Value of your HouseYou’d want to get the best price off your property and in the quickest time possible. However, over-pricing your home will only limit your chances of selling fast and under-pricing may speed up the process but you lose out in the bargain. An agent or an appraisal service should be able to assist in determining the fair market value of your home. Another way is judging by how much other houses in your neighborhood sold for.

Estimate Cost of Selling Advertising costs, if you plan to sell home yourself. Real estate commissions. Attorney, closing agent and other professional fees. Excise tax for the sale. Property taxes, home owner association fees, and fuel tank rentals. 4. Make Necessary RepairsYou don’t want to put off a buyer because of minor repairs which you haven’t attended to so far. If you’ve decided to sell your house, it’s time to finish with any pending repairs you may have felt minor and unnecessary to fix up till this point of time.5.