Not sure how to get your house ready to sell? Fortunately, there are steps you can take before putting your home on the market to increase your chances of receiving a solid offer from a buyer.
Research your local housing market
First and foremost, know the market value of your home. I can assist you with finding comps and determining a listing price for your house.
Find a listing agent
Interview 2 -3 Realtors. When interviewing a listing agent, be sure to ask about their experience in your neighborhood, connections to potential buyers and social media expertise. The Realtor should be able to give you a thoroughly laid out plan for how they are going to market and sell your home.
Buy more light bulbs
Go ahead and stock up on light bulbs. When showing your house to potential buyers, all light fixtures and lamps will need to be turned on.
Deep clean your Home
First impressions mean a lot. So don’t let foul smells, dirty floors or dusty surfaces make a bad one on a potential buyer. Before listing your home (and throughout the selling process), give your home a deep clean. This means cleaning toilets, wiping down surfaces, mopping floors, cleaning rugs and scrubbing bathrooms. If you need cleaning contacts, just let me know.
Declutter your home
Decluttering and organizing your space will go a long way in appealing to potential buyers. When a home is clutter-free, buyers are able to focus on the actual home instead of on the junk, knick knacks and overflowing closets. Consider using a rental storage unit to eliminate the clutter or get rid of things you don’t use.
Call a handyman
Make sure anything and everything that needs to be fixed (think: locks, hardware, leaky faucets, running toilets, cracks in the walls, broken appliances, squeaky doors, etc) has been taken care of before listing a home. Otherwise, buyers may think your home hasn’t been well taken care of, which can be a turn-off for many. Contact me if you need a list of providers.
Paint the walls
Now’s the time to re-paint your home. Start by painting over those bright orange and green walls with neutral colors. Stick to whites, light grays, light beige wall colors. These shades will make your home appear bigger, brighter and more welcoming. Adding a fresh coat of paint to your home will also help cover the wall’s imperfections and convey a blank slate to potential buyers.
Stage your home
Staged homes sell faster and for more money. Don’t forget to also spruce up your home’s curb appeal when staging the home. After all, the outside of the home is the first thing potential buyers will see when they pull up for a showing. Depersonalize your home. This means putting away the majority of framed photos, bulletin boards and personal items (think: photo albums, magazines, toys, equipment, awards, etc) throughout the home. Leave a few nice, framed photos around the house to make the home appear inviting and lived in.
Professional photography
Given that many potential buyers search for homes online, it’s crucial that your agent includes high quality, professional photos in your online listing. You only have 3 seconds to catch someone’s attention. Make the most of those 3 seconds. It potential buyers don’t look at the listing, they won’t come see your home. If you don’t have showings, you won’t get offers.
If you are someone you know is considering selling their home, I would appreciate the referral or the opportunity to help.
Reference
White, M. (July 31, 2018). Moving.com. Do These 11 Things Before Putting Your Home on the Market. Retrieved from: https://www.moving.com/tips/how-to-get-your-house-ready-to-sell/