Set your sails and sell your home! Pennsylvania has more than 5.1 million occupied housing units.

This statistic may make selling a property seem easy. In reality, it can take weeks or months to sell a property. Before you start the process, you need to know how to sell your home in Pennsylvania.

What should you do before you talk to a realtor? When should you sell your home? How can you negotiate the terms for selling your home?

Answer these questions, and you can make thousands of dollars off your home in no time. Here are five essential tips for selling a property.

1. CLEAN YOUR PROPERTY

No one wants to buy a dirty home. Before you talk to anyone about selling your home, you need to clean your property from top to bottom.

Ask a home inspector to come in and check your property for signs of damage. If the foundation or roof of your property needs work, you need to make those repairs immediately. You also must hire a remediation company if your inspector finds mold or pests.

If everything checks out, you should do a deep clean. Make the floors, walls, and ceiling look nice. You can remove furniture and personal belongings you don't want to sell and put them in a storage unit or your new home.

Your final steps should improve the curb appeal of your property. You can add a new coat of paint to the exterior or plant trees and flowers on the front lawn.

2. WORK WITH A REALTOR

It is very hard to sell your home by yourself. You should talk to a realtor who knows about selling real estate in Pennsylvania.

At a minimum, you should talk with them about strategies for selling PA real estate. You can get the names of people interested in buying similar properties and then connect with them. You can also figure out what paperwork you need to fill out and the laws you must follow.

But you can hire a realtor and have them handle the process for you. They can stage and market your house and organize property tours.

Remember that your realtor will receive a commission once they sell your home. However, you can negotiate how much they receive, especially if your property is expensive.

3. FIND THE RIGHT SEASON TO SELL YOUR HOME

There is no one time when you should sell your home. House prices and the number of interested homebuyers fluctuate depending on where you live. Talk to your realtor about general trends in your area so you can plan ahead.

If you live in a family-friendly area, you should consider selling your home during the summer. Many families look for homes to move into before the children start school in September.

You should only sell your property after you've renovated and marketed it. This may take a few months, so be patient and take steps to improve your property however you can.

4. FIELD DIFFERENT OFFERS

You may have many different people interested in your property. Do not select an offer until you've reviewed each one and evaluated the potential homebuyers. The homebuyer should be able to pay for your property right away and move in soon after the deal is closed.

If you have a shortlist of potential buyers, you should give them private tours of your house. This lets the buyer determine if they really want your house. This also allows you to meet with them in person and ask them questions.

If you're struggling to find buyers, you should run open houses. Advertise these events at least one week in advance.

Make sure you remove your personal items from the house. This will let potential homebuyers envision themselves in your property better.

Once you have an offer you like, you can accept it. But feel free to make real estate counteroffers.

Get creative as you want with your counteroffers. You can change the sales price, furniture in your house, and other features.

5. COMPLETE YOUR PAPERWORK

After your negotiations, you and the buyer must sign a purchase and sale agreement. The agreement must describe the sales price and the closing date.

Pennsylvania real estate law requires you to tell buyers about any major property defects. You must tell them about pest infestations, sewage problems, or remodeling. You can give them a document describing these defects, or you can disclose the defects to them in a conversation.

To sell your house, you must provide several documents. You must have two forms of identification, a copy of the purchase and sale agreement and the bill of sale. You may also want to provide home inspection results and home warranty information to your homebuyer as well.

You can use a quitclaim deed to expedite the sales process. You and your buyer should have a copy of your deed and run the deed by your lawyers.

FIGURE OUT HOW TO SELL A PROPERTY

You can sell a property in Pennsylvania for a lot of money. You need to beautify your home first and fix any defects that harm the integrity of your property. You can then talk to a realtor.

Pick a good time to sell your home, even if it means waiting a few months. Be aggressive with your marketing to attract buyers, but negotiate your price. Follow all relevant laws and provide the documents your buyer needs.

Don't forget about your title. Heartland Abstract helps Pennsylvania homeowners with title insurance. Contact us today.