Selling a house comes with its fair share of challenges. First and foremost, selling a house means parting ways with a place that holds irreplaceable memories and sentimental value.

The emotional connection aside, selling a property at the desired price is no easy feat. Given today’s volatile real estate sector, striking a lucrative deal on your property requires extensive work and effort. To make things easier, many realtors advise homeowners to move out of the house before they put it up for sale.

Here are the benefits of doing so:

1. Meet Seller Expectations

The housing market in various regions like DC, Virginia, and Maryland is highly competitive. While the median prices of houses in DC and Maryland have seen modest increases of 2.8% and 0.8%, respectively, there has been a significant decline in the number of homes sold.

In DC, the number of houses sold declined by 20.3%, while Maryland reported a 24% decline. Virginia’s median sale price has declined by 0.18%, but overall sales have declined by 22%. All these statistics underscore the importance of ensuring that your property meets the market’s expectations to sell at the desired price.

Living in a house listed on the market can be incredibly stressful for homeowners. It requires constant attention and maintenance to ensure the rooms are clean and there’s no clutter. If they don’t ensure everything is clean and well organized, the house won’t look appealing to the buyers, adding to the seller’s stress. Once homeowners have moved out of the house, realtors can show buyers an empty canvas where they can envision their lives.

So, if you’re planning on listing your current property, move to your new house before doing so. Hire residential movers to assist with the process and ensure a swift and timely relocation. Once you’ve vacated your house, the realtors will be at much ease presenting your property to prospective buyers.

2. Timely Staging

What’s better than visiting a home that has bare walls and flooring? A house that looks empty might provide room for imagination. Buyers are not looking for a house full of clutter and messiness. They need to envision themselves living in the house. Ideally, they want something that looks like it belongs to a magazine rather than a messy, lived-in home.

Many professional companies offer staging services that give a modern appeal to any home. They stage the house so it ticks all the boxes off the list of homebuyers – ensuring that it lands an offer that matches or tops the asking price.

3. Expedite the Selling Process

In a competitive market like DC, Virginia, and Maryland, realtors are always busy, showing houses to potential buyers from dawn to dusk. But what does it mean for homeowners who have their houses on the market? A house on the market means that visitors will come in to see the house multiple times throughout the day, annoying the house dwellers.

In Virginia, Maryland, and DC, houses remain on the market for an average of 18, 19, and 39 days respectively. Imagine 2-3 visitors arriving daily till the house remains on the market. Sounds overwhelming, right?

When this happens, sellers ask the realtors to bring in potential buyers between a specific slot. While this might ease things up, it also slows the selling process. So, the house could be on the market for more than 1-2 months before it is finally sold. A viable approach is moving out of your house and letting as many buyers visit it as the realtors can attract, expediting the selling process. This is where letting agents Rainham can make a significant difference. With their extensive network and expertise, they can attract a larger pool of potential buyers, thereby speeding up the selling process.

4. Easy to Take Up Home Improvement Projects

Home improvement projects are likely to transform the look of a house. Even a simple paint job outdoors can give a 55% ROI. Many homeowners opt for projects such as flooring replacement or bathroom remodeling before listing their property for sale.

However, undertaking these projects while still living in the house can become bothersome. For starters, the people in the house won’t get the privacy they are used to. Workers will come in and out of the house while working on the project.

Additionally, the smells from adhesives and other materials used in these projects can trigger allergies and cause headaches. Sounds from power tools can also be annoying, especially for telecommuters.

Homeowners can avoid such inconveniences by moving out of the house before starting these projects. Workers can swiftly complete their tasks without residents having to endure disruptions.

5. Avoid Last-Minute Packing

When homeowners put their houses up for sale, it is decided that they have to move out. But they should do it before they put it up on the market rather than when the deal is done.

The reason is that many buyers insist on moving to the new place within a few weeks. Packing the entire house, including furniture, clothes, kitchen items, and appliances, needs at least a month. So, the sellers are pressured to do the same things quickly.

When the sellers move out of the property before putting it up for sale, they can handle the packing and moving process without the pressure of a looming deadline. And they can better organize their belongings, sort through items, and pack systematically. This proactiveness helps reduce stress and ensures a smooth transition to their new residence.

They can even adjust the listing date until after they finish packing and home improvement projects. Moving and improvement projects wrapped up beforehand ensure that the sellers are fully prepared to showcase the property in its best condition.

Conclusion

When putting a property up for sale, you can get a good deal if the house checks all the boxes on the list of buyers. However, if the sellers live in the house, there’s less chance they will land a good deal quickly.

When sellers move out of the place, they can take up home improvement projects, stage the house, and even allow realtors to show the place to multiple potential buyers in a day. Besides, since they have to move out of the house anyways, it’s better to move out beforehand. This way, there’s no stress of a looming deadline, and the new owners can move in swiftly once the deal is done.