Selling a home can be a stressful time for any family.
If you leave the actual selling to your agent, your primary concern should be to make sure you are doing what you can to present your home at its very best. Here are 5 simple things you can do to prepare your home for sale.
1. Detach & Depersonalize Your Home
We understand that letting go can be difficult. After all, you likely have many great memories in your home. But keep in mind that these memories are yours, and potential buyers are looking to make their own.
It can help to try and sever the emotional attachment to your home. This means removing personal items like family heirlooms, photographers, and other objects that will hinder prospective buyers from seeing themselves in the home.
You need to present an impersonal, clean environment so they can envision their future with their own possessions. Depersonalizing your space makes this process easier for the buyer.
2. Clean & Declutter
Clean your home and keep it that way. This means making every surface shine, from the floors to the ceiling and everything in between. This may need to go beyond the every-day efforts if you have unsightly stains or worn floors and tubs.
Consider hiring a professional cleaning crew if you need some extra help, but make sure to maintain the cleanliness if your home takes some time to sell. Pay extra close attention to the kitchen and bathrooms, which are big selling points of a home.
Decluttering can also go a long way toward selling your home, and ties into depersonalizing. By removing your personal knickknacks and family portraits, you help a buyer envision their family and belongings in the home.
This is also a great opportunity for you to get rid of items that you’ve collected over the year but no longer need. You can have a yard sale or donate to Goodwill. As a bonus, you’ll save time on packing when you make the sale.
3. Increase Your Curb Appeal
Cleaning isn’t just limited to the interior of your home.
Buyers won’t even get out of their cars if the exterior of the home turns them off. More your exterior areas more appealing by giving your front door a fresh coat of paint or adding some flower pots to the porch. Hire a landscaper to make your lawn, bushes, and garden immaculate.
And if your driveway and walkways need some attention, get to work with a pressure washer or fix any cracks or broken steps.
4. Organize Closets & Storage Areas
It’s easy for closets, drawers, and storage areas to get messy over time. We simply stow things away and worry about them later.
The problem is, buyers may be serious about storage space and will want to check the closets and cabinets. If these spaces are cluttered, it sends a negative message and may even make them think that there isn’t enough storage space.
Organize closets and drawers. Messy closets give the appearance that your home doesn’t have enough storage space. Clean, organized storage areas also show that you took good care of the house while you lived there.
5. Make Necessary Repairs
You want your home to be in the best possible condition for potential buyers. If there are major defects like broken windows or a leaky roof, you should make the repairs before you go to sell. In buyer’s markets especially, repairs can make or break a sale.
Take an inventory of your entire home and see what needs to be fixed or replaced. This includes doors and drawers that don’t close properly and walls that are not neutral colors. Don’t give buyers any negative reasons for your home to stand out. Give them as positive an experience as possible.
Summary
When you take these five steps to prepare your home for sale, you are giving your home the best chance of making a good impression on buyers. Once you’ve gone through all of these items, don’t forget about upkeep, and make sure each room is arranged to give maximum appeal. You may even seek your agent’s help when it comes to staging your home for sale, which is the next step before you’re ready for buyers to take a tour.
