Five Questions to Ask Before You List Your Home

The homes that sell fastest — and closest to asking price — are almost always the ones where the seller did their homework before the first viewing. Before you list, ask yourself these five questions.

First: what have comparable homes in your immediate area actually sold for in the last six months, not just what's currently listed? Second: is your home priced for the buyer you want, or for the seller you wish you had? Third: have you addressed the small, cheap-to-fix issues — a leaking tap, a scuffed wall — that quietly erode buyer confidence during a viewing?

Fourth: do you have a realistic timeline, and does your asking price reflect how quickly you actually need to sell? And fifth: who is marketing your home, and to how many pre-qualified buyers? A listing that sits quietly on a single portal will always underperform one backed by an agent's existing buyer network.