It’s Time to Sell Your Home. So Where the Heck Do You Begin?
It’s a good idea to take an objective look at your home to see what needs repaired or replaced. Your house will be scrutinized by potential buyers who won’t overlook smudges around the light switches, boxes stacked in the laundry room or peeling paint on the backsplash. A spruced up home makes a good first impression – essential for getting buyers to investigate further. Increasing your home’s appeal will help it sell faster at the best price.
Make A List
As you’re walking around your home or yard, note what needs to be cleaned, repaired or replaced then put a plan in motion to take care of these things.
Clean and Clear the Clutter
Uncluttering makes every room look larger and feel neater. If a house is cluttered, buyers have trouble imaging themselves in it. A good rule of thumb: when in doubt, throw it out. Likewise, a messy or dirty house can be a turnoff to buyers. Cleaning makes your house easy for buyers to explore and gives the impression that it has been well cared for. Be sure every room smells as good as it looks, paying special attention to pet areas, nurseries, and bathrooms. Some fresh paint and a one-time professional cleaning service can make your home look like new! So clean everything thoroughly and eliminate the clutter. If you’ve acquired too much stuff over the years sell some, donate it to a charity or throw it away. If you can’t bear to part with it, store it out of sight.
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Help buyers see themselves living in your home by removing personal items like photos and collections. You want the buyer to look at your home, not your possessions.
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Closet space and storage is an important consideration for many homebuyers. Store unused or out-of-season clothes so that your closet looks bigger and more organized.
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Have your carpets professionally cleaned or, if badly worn or stained, replace it. It’s a relatively inexpensive way to increase the appearance of your home.
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If you have water stains, it’s ok to seal and paint them but make sure that the problem is corrected, disclose the leak and what repairs were made.
Neutralize Interior
Neutralizing also helps buyers see their own things in your house and picture themselves living there. Neutral paint, décor, and carpeting create a home for any lifestyle. Eliminating distracting colors and accessories lets buyer concentrate on positive impressions.
Repairs
Making repairs eliminates buyer objections before they arise. If you think something is too much trouble to fix, chances are the buyer will also. Buyers tend to think repairs will cost more than they do. Just like cleaning, a home in good repair reinforces how well the home has been maintained.
Don’t start any major renovations since it’s unlikely you will recoup the cost but do repair leaky faucets, slow drains, torn screens, broken windows, etc. If your home looks well maintained, people will think you’ve taken care of it over the years.
Curb Appeal – The WOW Factor
Creating that first good impression of your home starts from the outside and can make or break a sale. If a potential buyer doesn’t like what he sees on the outside, chances are he won’t look any further so make your home’s outside look its best. Read our article on Curb Appeal for ideas on what to do to make your home’s exterior more appealing.
Just For Good Measure
Now that you’ve cleaned the home, removed the clutter, made repairs and spruced up the exterior, here are five things you might want to do before you put your house on the market:
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Get estimates from a reliable repairperson on items that need to be replaced soon, such as a roof or worn carpeting, for example. In this way, buyers will have a better sense of how much these needed repairs will affect their costs.
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Consider a termite inspection to show buyers that the property is not infested.
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A pre-sale home inspection is often a good idea. It lets you know what potential problems might exist and allows you to correct them. Understand that an inspection that reveals of defect of the home does need to be disclosed.
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Gather together warranties and guarantees on the furnace, appliances and other items that will remain with the house.
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Carefully complete the disclosure form provided by your Realtor. Take the time to be sure that you don’t forget problems, however minor, that might create liability for you after the sale.
Show Time!
Have a plan for what you do each time before your home is shown. Identify jobs and assign them to make this step quick and easy. If you keep up daily, showings will be easier for you and your family. Plan a fun activity—away from the house during showings.
Putting these tips in action will help you prepare your home for sale and net you bigger proceeds when it does.