7 Tips for Navigating Your Next Chapter - Selling Your First Home to Move Up to the Next

Let's face it - it's not often that your first home is your forever home. You're not alone if you feel like you're outgrowing your starter home. Many Greensboro homeowners face the exciting but sometimes daunting task of finding a new home that fits their ever-changing needs. Fear not! My 7 tips for selling a home so you can move on to your next will help equip you to know how to navigate the current Greensboro real estate market with ease and unlock your next chapter.

1. Assess Your Needs + Create a Plan: Before you get too excited about the potential of a new home, take a step back to assess what qualities of a home are truly important to you. Identify what is working in your current home and the painpoints that you'd like to get rid of in your next home. Whether it be more bedrooms, a bigger kitchen or extra flex spaces, understanding your actual needs will help guide your search.

2. Set a Realistic Budget: Nothing will get you discouraged faster than falling in love with a house you simply cannot afford. Work with a local Greensboro real estate agent (like me!) to determine the current market value of your home and work through what your proceeds will be. This will give you an idea of how much money you can put down to create a new monthly payment that will work for you. Get in contact with a local lender to review your financial standing so you know where you stand. Establishing a realistic budget is a non-negotiable to helping make the process of two back-to-back sales as seamless as they can be. 

3. Prepare Your Home to Sell: If you're wanting to sell quickly so you can move on to your next home faster, you must take the time to prepare your current home for a fast sale. Check out my other blog post here on tips to get your home ready to sell  and for top dollar.

4. Market Strategically: This is where the importance of hiring an experienced real estate agent familar with the current standing of the Greensboro market is so important! I will develop a target marketing strategy and utilize online platforms, high-quality photos and videos and mail services to ensure your home stands out for potential buyers. 

5. Coordinate Selling and Buying Timelines: Another extremely important part of having dual transactions is making sure the timelines are aligned seamlessly to ensure both can close on time. Your agent can help with the timelines and also negotiate leaseback terms to ensure your move is seamless. 

6. Explore Greensboro Neighborhoods: You may think you know exactly where you want to land, but don't be afraid to check out some houses in other neighborhoods in Greensboro! You may be missing out on the perfect floorplan if you're not willing to sacrifice a 5 minute drive. 

7. Open Communication: Maintaining an open line of communication with your real estate agent, lender and any other professionals is critical during this time frame. Everyone wants the best outcome possible and being an open book helps us all get to the finish line. 

Finding your dream home in Greensboro requires careful planning and execution to make sure everything lines up. But with these tips and the help and support of knowledgable professionals, there's nothing to be scared of as you navigate this process.