# Home Selling 101

**Selling your home is harder than it sounds.** Beyond listing it, you’ll need to get your house ready, set the right price, and negotiate with buyers. Here’s everything you need to know about the process and navigating the market.

## Should I sell my house now?

When trying to decide whether to sell your house, it's essential to consider two main factors, the current state of the housing market and your individual circumstances. While understanding the market is beneficial, sometimes selling a home becomes necessary regardless of favorable conditions, like if you have to relocate for work or other personal reasons.

[→ Learn more about whether to sell or wait](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/should-i-sell-my-house-now)

## Taxes and Costs

### Do I have to pay taxes when selling a home?

Selling a house isn’t free and comes with [its own set of costs](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/the-true-cost-of-selling-a-house), like real estate agent fees, appraisal and home inspection fees, and your mortgage balance. There are also tax implications, like [capital gains](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/capital-gains-tax-when-selling-a-home) — but also ways to avoid them. In order to make a profit when you sell you need to account for all this. To get started, try a home sale proceeds calculator to estimate your home-selling costs.

#### Estimated Net Proceeds

- Home Sale Price: $250,000
- Total Cost to Sell: $28,125
- Estimated Net Proceeds: $221,875

## 5 Steps to Selling a House

Here’s an overview of how it all works.

1. **Decide How to Sell**
   - [Hire a real estate agent](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/what-to-ask-a-real-estate-agent-selling-your-home)
   - [Sell on your own](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/what-to-ask-a-real-estate-agent-selling-your-home)
   - [Sell to a homebuying company](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/what-to-ask-a-real-estate-agent-selling-your-home) or work with an iBuyer

2. **Prepare your home and make repairs**  
   You can lose a lot of money selling your house as-is, so it’s important to declutter your home, enhance your curb appeal, and assess the property condition to make necessary fixes.

3. **List and show your home**
   Choosing the [right listing price](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/how-to-choose-a-listing-price) is crucial for a successful sale.

4. **Negotiate and accept an offer**
   When offers start coming in for your house, it's time to navigate the negotiation process.

- [How to craft a winning counter offer](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/counter-offer-real-estate)
   - [What are seller concessions?](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/what-is-a-seller-concession)
   - [When should I lower my house price?](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/price-reductions-real-estate-when-to-lower-house-price)

5. **Pass inspections and appraisals to close**
   [After you’ve accepted an offer](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/after-offer-accepted-on-a-house) on your home, the buyer will request an inspection and appraisal as part of their mortgage application.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Do you need a real estate agent to sell a house?**

You can skip out on a real estate agent by [selling your house on Craigslist](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/selling-houses-on-craigslist), but you’ll miss out on valuable input from an experienced professional.

**What is my home worth?**

It’s important to know the value of your home when you put it on the market for sale. Get started with our [home value estimator](https://orchard.com/pages/home-value-estimator-how-much-is-my-home-worth).

**What documents do you need to sell a house?**

Selling a house requires a variety of documents at multiple parts of the process. Learn more [here](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/documents-required-to-sell-your-house).

**How long does it take to sell a house?**

Selling your home is a marathon, not a sprint. [Houses can stay on the market for almost months](https://orchard.com/blog/posts/how-long-does-it-take-to-sell-a-house).

**What is the home-selling process?**

Here's what selling your house looks like:
- Find a real estate agent or sell on your own
- Get your house ready for sale
- Choose the right listing price
- Consider home staging
- Host a great open house
- Accept an offer
- Negotiate seller credits
- Close on the home