Selling a house is a big step that requires careful consideration. Before deciding to put your property on the market, you must weigh all the pros and cons.
Even though, according to statistics, the number of sold properties in the U.S. declined in 2023, a significant amount of property owners are looking to sell their houses for a variety of reasons.
It doesn’t matter if you’re selling the house yourself or working with a real estate agent, knowing what your property has to offer is important.
In this article, we’ll discuss what you need to know about your house to sell it successfully and where to find this kind of information.
Information You Need to Know to Prepare Your House for Sale
Every house is unique and has its differential features that might either attract or deter the seller. Either way, it’s essential to be truthful. For this, you need to know everything about your house, even things that seem irrelevant.
Here’s what to keep in mind.
- Legal Description
A legal description of the house contains its precise location and measurements. While some people think it’s the same as the address, there’s actually a difference. A legal description is used to transfer the title due to its accuracy while an address is used to indicate where the property is located.
It also includes a property’s boundaries, such as lot numbers and specific measurements, parcel identification, metes and bounds, subdivision name, and more.
You need a legal description of the property in order to sell it, as without it, the transfer of ownership won’t be legally recognized.
- Square Footage and Lot Size
These two are paramount to know when selling a house and are usually the first to be mentioned in a property description when it’s for sale.
Square footage refers to the total area of a space measured in square feet. To calculate square footage, you need to multiply the length of a space by its width. For example, if a room is 12 feet long and 10 feet wide, the square footage would be 120 square feet.
Lot size, in turn, refers to the total area of a piece of land. It’s measured in square feet, square meters, or acres. Some buyers, whose goal is to expand and have more room outside, consider it as one of the most important factors when looking for real estate to purchase.
- Number of Rooms and Layout
The number of rooms in a property listed for sale is a determinant factor for many buyers. Families, home-based businesses, and some retirees are usually the ones who are interested in a house with many rooms meanwhile single individuals, couples, and just people with limited budgets in general are looking for the exact opposite.
The layout shouldn’t be ignored, too. It’s the arrangement and design of the rooms and how they’re organized within a house. It includes the placement of walls, windows, doors, and other architectural features.
- Year Built and Renovations
Although not as determinant for some property buyers, the year when the house was built and its renovations should be listed in the house description, too.
The demand for new and old houses depends on different factors. Some buyers prefer modern features, such as the latest designs and technologies; Others, on the other hand, opt for the character and charm that old houses offer.
So, make sure to mention exactly when your property was built and whether it had any renovations.
- Age of Major Systems
The age of major systems is another important factor to keep in mind. Potential buyers want to know this information as it can affect the home’s condition, efficiency, and potential future repair costs.
Roof, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system, water heater, plumbing and electrical systems, and siding are just a few systems that you need to find information about if you don’t already know it.
How to Find Information About My Property?
There are a number of efficient ways that can help you learn more about your property. Let’s take a look at some of them.
- Reverse Search Your Address
Reverse searching an address means using online tools or databases to look up information about a certain address. For instance, you can search your address in a people search website’s database to uncover essential details about your house, including its dwelling type, the year built, price, and even neighborhood information.
Simply open the website, choose “Address”, enter your address, and hit enter to discover what public records can reveal about your property.
- Review Your Home Inspection Report
If you’ve ever done an inspection of your house, find the document and review it for information regarding the condition of your property. There, you can find the age of the roof, its material and condition, information about windows, walls and ceilings, floors, driveways and walkways, plumbing and electrical systems, and any safety issues and additional observations.
- Pay a Visit to the County Recorder’s Office
The county clerk keeps different official property records, such as deed histories, mortgage records, and liens or encumbrances, among others, which can ensure a smooth and legally sound transaction.
A deed history confirms that you’re the owner of the house and have the right to sell it. Mortgage records are usually checked by buyers to ensure they’re not inheriting any financial obligations. And liens and encumbrances reveal any legal claims such as tax liens, unpaid debts, or contractor disputes.
- Check Building Permits
A building permit can show you important details about a construction and any renovations. It includes the name of the property owner and contractor who was responsible for the project, the type of work done, the layout, original construction plans, and more.
To find a building permit, go to the local city planning office or search online on the official website.
- Use Online Property Lookup Tools
To find home value estimates, sales history, nearby comparable properties, and other information, you can use Zillow, Realtor.com, or Redfin. On Realtor.com, for example, you can track your home value and find recently sold homes in your area (which can give you a general idea of the prices for which the properties in your neighborhood are sold).
What’s more, on these websites, you can find guides on how to sell a home yourself or find a real estate agent who will do the job for you.
