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December 9, 2021

5 Reasons to Consider Moving Out Before Selling Your Home

The timing of your move is so important. For example, if you’re planning to sell your home, you have to decide whether to vacate before or after you sell it.

There are benefits to consider with each option. You just have to determine if the advantages of one outweigh the other.

Here are five reasons to consider moving out of your home before the sale.

1. The House Stays Clean

Staying on top of house maintenance is usually a hassle. Panic cleaning before every real estate showing can be a nightmare.

It’s even more complicated if you have young children or pets. They can’t clean up after themselves, which adds to your burden.

Vacating your home gives you much fewer things to pick up or wash. Of course, you might still have to clean your house before showings, but it’s less complicated. Just a bit of tidying may be all you need.

2. You Won’t Have to Leave for Showings

When you live at home while selling it, you have to leave at a moment’s notice. You can set a schedule for showings, but you’ll probably have exceptions to the rule.

Leaving during a showing is essential because you want buyers to imagine it as their home. If you’re there, they can’t do that as effectively.

By moving out, potential buyers can schedule a showing anytime that works. And you don’t have to kill time out of the house while they look.

3. You Can Stage the Home

Staging your home is one of the best things you can do for a quick sale. Staging lets buyers see a furnished home that isn’t full of your family pictures or excess clutter.

You can stage a home while you live in it, but it’s harder to keep it that way. Moreover, staging usually involves minimal décor, which might not be enough for living.

Once you move out, you can decide whether to use your own furniture for staging or rent some. If your furniture is old or worn, renting may make your home feel fresher.

4. You’ll Have More Flexibility in Closing

Selling a home is a negotiation between you and the buyer. Everything you have to ask for adds to the haggling.

If you live in the home, you have to ask for time to get ready and vacate it. Then, depending on how fast you are, you might have to pay for the convenience.

Vacating early gives you the flexibility to snag buyers who want to close and take possession quickly. You might get a better price that way, too.

5. You Can Move on Your Timeline

Selling and moving are two distinct processes. But, unfortunately, they both take up a lot of your time.

Moving out first makes it easier to focus on sorting and packing. You’re not worrying about cleaning or staging until you leave.

Since moving can take a few months, it’s better to start as soon as you can. Then, you won’t be panicking about meeting a deadline set by the buyer, which can save you a lot of stress.