How to sell your house your house step-by-step

What steps are involved in selling

The step-by-step plan to sell your house

How can you successfully sell your house? How does selling a house go? And at what point can you start using a real estate agent for optimal results? For many people, just the thought of selling your house causes a lot of stress. Especially when you also want to buy a new house. At that moment there is a lot of pressure on you and it is often new. Because how often do you sell a house? Therefore you will find below the step-by-step plan to sell your house in the best possible way.

The decisions you make during the selling process can cost you a lot of money or just save you money. Read the steps carefully to plan the sale as well as possible and make use of the smart tips!

> Rather sell your house asap? Start using these tips

Step 1. Do you really need to sell your house?

It’s not the first step you’d expect in a step-by-step plan. Because perhaps it is a superfluous question to ask yourself whether it is wise to sell. In some cases, it is in fact smarter to remodel your home. When you want to buy a new house after the sale, there are many costs involved. So it may just be “cheaper” not to sell.

Besides the question of whether you should move, there are a number of other questions you should ask yourself before you go to step 2 of the step-by-step plan:

  1. Have you thought about how the current housing market is affecting your decision to sell? At the moment when prices are rising rapidly, there is a chance that you won’t be able to afford a larger house than your current one.
  2. Are you thinking about living smaller? If so, look at the pros and cons first including whether there are good moving options at this time.
  3. Are you in debt? If so, can you afford to sell your house and buy a new one? This can in fact have considerable consequences when the debts are so large.
  4. Isn’t it smarter not to sell your current house but to rent it out? Of course it depends on the (financial) situation, but in some cases it is attractive to rent out your current house.

Step 2. Contact a financial advisor

After you have decided to sell, the next step is to notify your mortgage lender. It’s important to know the amount of your current mortgage debt residual and whether there is an early repayment penalty. In addition, it is useful to find out what the current house value is worth, this way you will find out what you will be left with when you pay off the remainder of the mortgage. At the moment you also want to buy a new house, you should look at what kind of mortgage you need. The financial advisor can also advise you directly on this.

Step 3. Decide whether you should look for a house to buy or rent

Temporary renting can bring extra costs, but it does reduce the pressure to buy a house quickly. When you rent temporarily, you have more time to find your perfect buying home. When the trend of house prices is down then it can be a wise choice to rent for some time, after which you get more house for your money. However, this is a complicated choice in the current housing market. Many people want to buy a new house first before selling their current house.

Step 4. Find the best real estate agent for you

The moment you are sure you want to sell your house, you need a real estate agent who will arrange the sale. At Proper Realtor, you can be sure that you will be put in contact with the best real estate agents for your preferences. All available data on how the brokers perform throughout the Netherlands will be used. In this way, you will be put in contact with the two best real estate agents in your neighbourhood!

> Looking for a proper agent in the area? Start comparing real estate agents nearby now

Step 5. Determine the selling price

One of the difficult steps during the sale of your house is to determine the sales price. At this step, you can do good research yourself, but trust your sales agent, especially in this. The sales strategy here is related to the estimated selling price.

Tip: You do not always have to choose the broker who has the highest selling price in mind. After all, it’s all about which broker you have the most confidence in. After all, the selling price is not a guarantee that you will sell it for that price. Sometimes a sales strategy is used where the selling price is lower so the house attracts more viewers. This way the interest is greater and there is more chance of overbidding.

Step 6. Make your house sale-ready!

Make sure the house looks neat. This way you will not only sell your house faster, but it is also possible to sell it for a higher selling price.

Clean up the house, and make sure there is no clutter; give the house a fresh look by painting the necessary walls and repairing small things in the house. Finally, you can bake an apple pie; hang a mirror for a spacious look and make sure it smells fresh.

Step 7. Accept the best bid

If you have received a bid or multiple bids, great! If you are not satisfied with the offer you can’t refuse it or make a counter-offer. Your real estate agent will conduct the negotiations for you. If a counteroffer is not accepted, it is always possible to wait for a higher offer.

The moment you accept an offer, the broker must then take the house off the market. When you accept the offer, the purchase is not yet complete; there is a legal cooling-off period of three working days. In addition, the conditions still need to be discussed.

Step 8. Drawing up and signing the sales agreement

You and the buyer must agree on several important things. These are things like the transfer date, what the buyer wants to take over (also called: the movable property), the deposit and what the resolutive conditions are.

The deed of sale must be signed by both parties. After that, both parties have a legal reflection period of three days. When this period has expired the purchase is final. If you still want to withdraw from the sale, only the resolutory conditions apply.

 

Step 9. Moving out of the sold house

You must move your belongings before the transfer date has passed. Before this time you must fulfil all agreements made earlier so that you will not have problems with the transfer. Make sure you take enough time for this. Packing and moving your belongings always takes longer than you think. In addition, it is less stressful to do this earlier. When you are looking for a professional mover, be sure to compare different prices. You can do this, for example, through HuisAssist.

Step 10. Finalize the sale

Once the statutory cooling-off period has expired and the buyer’s financing is in place, the next step can be taken. The deed of transfer can be drawn up. Before you sign it, you, the real estate agent and the buyer visit the house to check that everything has been delivered as agreed. Then the transfer takes place at the notary. Here you sign the deed of transfer and you have finally successfully sold your house!

During the signing of the transfer, the financial administration is immediately put in order. The bill of costs contains the amounts you receive as a seller and which the notary will pay to various companies. After signing, you don’t have to do anything else.

Step 11. Mortgage cancellation

You are obliged to cancel your mortgage registration no later than at the time of transfer. A notary needs to do this for you. You can do this with the notary who handles the transfer. If you have already paid off the mortgage, arrange for the cancellation before the transfer.

Of course, there are small steps in the step-by-step plan to sell your house that is missing. If you want to know more about how selling a house goes, feel free to get in touch. You can also request a real estate agent directly, and we will help you find the best real estate agent in your area!

> Looking to buy a house after selling? We discovered the 20 best tips when to buy a house successfully

How does it work?

Checklist

Select your preferences

Click on the red button and select your preferences.

deep-learning

Personalized intake and selection

We will select the number of brokers you want at your preferences.

contact

Real estate agents get in touch

The selected real estate agents will contact you without obligation.

contract

You choose the right agent

Finally, you choose the real estate agent that best suits you!

FAQ

Below you can read more about the steps and important points of selling your house.

How fast can you sell your house?

+

You can sell your house within a week. However, the lead time with photos, good texts, inspecting the house is also a few days work. When you are really in a hurry, let the real estate agent inform you well.

Selling your house and what about the mortgage?

+

If you are going to sell your house and you are not buying a new house, you can pay off your mortgage. Even when you buy a new house, it may in some cases be smart to take out a new mortgage. For example, with a lower interest rate.

Selling a house without a real estate agent, how does that work?

+

At that moment you have to do all the steps yourself. You have to get a photographer, write a text, apply for an energy label, put your house online, schedule viewings and do it yourself and complete the sale.