8 STEPS TO SELLING YOUR HOME
Step Three - Preparing Your Home
When trying to sell a house, first impressions mean everything. When you have lived in your home for a long time it's easy to get used to minor imperfections, such as doors that stick or a missing section of baseboard, but potential buyers will notice immediately.
The condition of your house can and will affect how long it takes to sell, and how much buyers are willing to offer, so let's get it in showroom condition!
1. Clear the Clutter. Begin by packing up and removing anything you don't need to use on a daily basis, such as knick-knacks, excess books and movies, piles of mail, and anything else that causes clutter. De-cluttering kitchen and bathroom counters is especially important. You want potential buyers to be able to move freely around your house without bumping into things and you want their focus to be on the house, not the stuff on your shelves!
2. Remove Personal Items. Removing items such as family photos and drawings your
children made will help buyers picture their own family living in your house. People often think keeping family photos up will give the house a homey feel, but it actually makes buyers feel as though they are intruding in someone's home. Take them all down and give the buyers a clean slate to work with.
children made will help buyers picture their own family living in your house. People often think keeping family photos up will give the house a homey feel, but it actually makes buyers feel as though they are intruding in someone's home. Take them all down and give the buyers a clean slate to work with.
3. Clear the Way. Remove or rearrange furniture to create open walk ways around your home. Pull all furniture away from windows and walls and remove anything that makes a room feel tight. This is also important for the garage, which is often used by sellers to store their things before moving. Buyers love looking at the garage and it always excites them to see a clean, open space just waiting for their car and new work bench.
4. Make Minor Repairs. This is the time to fix all those little things around the house you've been meaning to get to for years. Leaking faucets, doors and windows that stick, and that cracked tile in the bathroom are all simple and affordable fixes. Changing light switch plate covers so they all match, replacing light bulbs, and laying out a new welcome mat will make a huge difference in how a buyer views your home. Major renovations, such as a new kitchen, are usually unnecessary and won't raise the value of your home by much. Keep it simple and focus on the small things.
5. Paint. A fresh coat of can make a world of difference in the land of first impressions. Choose neutral tones that are easy on the eyes and keep it simple. Buyers can be finicky and as silly as it sounds the wrong shade of blue on your walls can turn away a potential buyer.
5. Paint. A fresh coat of can make a world of difference in the land of first impressions. Choose neutral tones that are easy on the eyes and keep it simple. Buyers can be finicky and as silly as it sounds the wrong shade of blue on your walls can turn away a potential buyer.
6. Garden. The front yard is usually the first thing a buyer sees, so don't forget to work on that curb appeal! Sweep the walkway and trim back any hedges or plants that may be growing over it. Rid your doorway of spider webs and add a nice hanging basket of seasonal flowers. If you can, plant some flowers, add some mulch, and above anything keep the lawn mowed! The same can be done with the backyard to create a relaxing and inviting feel.
Your home is now ready to sell! If you don't feel up to doing some of the things on this list you may want to consider hiring professionals, such as painters, gardeners, and home stagers. Spending a little money on prepping your home will help it sell faster and may even yield you a bigger profit in the end.
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