Selling your home is a big decision. Selling it quickly and for the highest price possible? That’s even tougher! If you’re looking to sell your home, it’s important to get it ready for the market. This is not a one-size-fits-all process and will vary depending on what type of property you have, but there are a few things that apply across the board.
Some of these steps may seem like no-brainers, but they can make big differences in price if ignored. Here are some of our top recommendations for getting a property in tip-top shape so that potential buyers will want to make an offer as quickly as possible.
Declutter Your Home
The biggest draw for potential buyers is the space itself. You want them to see as much of it as possible, without feeling overwhelmed by your belongings.
If you’re selling a house that’s fairly roomy, you may be able to get away with having some stuff out in the open while they look around. Just don’t go overboard—it can make a home feel cluttered and small (like you’re walking into someone’s storage unit!) if there are too many things on display at once. Whenever possible, put everything away into closets and cabinets or give them to friends and family ahead of time until the sale closes. If you have kids, ask their grandparents or other family members if they’d mind keeping an eye on toys and cleaning up as needed.
Decluttering your home before selling it can be a big help. In addition to making the house look much cleaner, decluttering can also make the process of buying and selling easier for you and your realtor. It is important that you get rid of any items in the house that will not be included in the sale. This includes personal items, clothing, furniture, toys, electronics, or anything else that does not belong to you. Be sure to remove all pictures from the walls as well.
You should also clean up any dirt or dust on floors and vacuum carpets if possible! Items like food containers should be removed as well since they are a health hazard for anyone who might buy your home after you move out.
Deep Clean Your Home
The process typically includes washing windows, scrubbing floors and walls, changing light bulbs, removing all personal items from the property, stripping beds of linens, and moving furniture around to make rooms appear larger. It is important to deep clean your home before putting it on the market. This helps potential buyers imagine how they can use all of the space in your home, and it also drives up interest. Cleaning with this goal in mind will help you focus on areas that will provide the most return when selling.
Start with a radical cleaning that involves removing dust from hard-to-reach places like window sills, then follow up with smaller cleans like vacuuming floors and wiping down countertops. Do not forget about the exterior of your home as well! Be sure to power wash any unsightly grime or stains off of surfaces so that buyers are drawn immediately into a fresh house that looks clean and welcoming.
If your house has an unpleasant smell, or stains on the floors, walls, or carpet, the buyer will notice. If you want to sell your house as quickly as possible, then remember that the selling process is all about the first impressions- from curb appeal to interior cleanliness, good smells, and the overall signature appearance of your landscape. A deep clean not only makes your home more appealing to potential buyers by creating an inviting atmosphere; it also gets rid of unpleasant odors that may linger after you’ve moved out or if there’s been a pet living there too long.
Depersonalize Your Rooms
To make your home appealing to potential buyers, you have to depersonalize it. You may be emotionally attached to various rooms in the house, but you should remember that no one else is so attached and that everyone will experience your home like a brand new place. That means that all of the rooms in your house need to feel as though they haven’t been lived in before- even if you’ve just moved in.
In other words, remove any furniture or decorations that immediately link your house with someone specific living there. This includes pictures on walls and shelves and even family photos where no one is smiling anymore; display them elsewhere until you find yourself ready for them again! Think about it this way: would you be able to picture your future home with previous owners’ memories lurking?
Curb Appeal
The greatest trick to making your home feel fresh and new is curb appeal. Your outside appearance says a lot about you as an owner, so this is where you should focus first! If your house is surrounded by beautiful plants or flowers then it will set the tone for the whole inside of your home.
Curb appeal is an important factor in the value of your home and how quickly it sells. Curb appeal can be difficult to define, but a lack of curb appeal may include things like peeling paint, overgrown grass or shrubs, and outdated landscaping features. If you’re thinking about selling your property soon, there are some easy ways to improve its curb appeal and get it ready for buyers!
This means that even if you can’t afford major renovations right away, it’s worth buying some potted plants and flowers at least. You could also consider spray-painting anything rusty on the outside of your house: fences, gates, doors, etc. The goal of these changes isn’t necessarily to make everything new looking; in fact, ideally, they should look slightly rustic but still very presentable.
Minor Fixes
With the economy on a rebound, more people are looking to buy homes. The housing market is still recovering from its recessionary lows and now may be an opportune time for homebuyers to get into the market. With this in mind, it’s important that buyers understand what they’re getting into before making any decisions.
One of the best ways to do so is by educating yourself about some common minor home fixes you might come across during your search for a new property. These include: fixing leaky pipes, replacing or repairing broken windows or doors, sealing up cracks in walls and ceilings that let cold air in, fixing leaky faucets and toilets that run constantly (sometimes called “running toilets”), installing insulation to seal off drafts coming from the outside.
A Fresh Coat of Paint Goes a Long Way When Selling
Repainting your house can be an easy way to boost its appeal to potential buyers. It’s not expensive or time-consuming, can extend the life of faulty wiring or other major systems, and makes your home look nicer. A fresh coat of paint is often fairly inexpensive (or at least cheaper than most projects), doesn’t take long to do — even for contractors — and requires little expertise on your part.
Make sure you choose a color that suits the architecture and style of your house, though! Some colors might clash with new cabinets or flooring in a kitchen or bathroom. Think about hiring a professional painter if you’re unsure which items need to be redone.
A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for the curb appeal and resale value of your home. The best time to paint before selling is when you are planning on putting your property on the market, but it’s good to make sure that it will be dry in time for showings.
Hire a Professional Photographer
A professional photographer will make your property shine online and in print. It’s important to note that a great picture can sell even the most mediocre property, but if your home is in terrible condition, it could look worse in pictures than it does in real life.
In today’s market, buyers are looking at homes on their phones and tablets. They’re not only looking at them online but they also want to see them in person as well. This means that you need high-quality photos so that potential buyers can see what they are purchasing before they buy it! Since there is no way for someone to physically walk through the house with you or touch anything without being able to look around first; photographs are essential for helping people decide if a property suits their needs or deserves more exploration.
Get a Home Inspection
A home inspection is one of the final steps before selling your home. It will provide you with a list of any final repairs that need to be done and allow you to negotiate on those items in advance, instead of waiting for the buyer to notice them after they close on the house.
A home inspection can also help protect you from liability if something goes wrong later and it wasn’t discovered during an inspection. As real estate agents, we recommend considering hiring us or another professional inspector when preparing your property for sale! An inspection report from a licensed inspector provides prospective buyers with the information they want about the property’s condition so that they know what they are buying into.
Summary
If you are in the process of selling your home, there is a lot to do. There is an entire list of items that need to be addressed before you can put it on the market and start receiving offers. Apart from all that needs to be done, costs of repairs add up, and once your home is ready, a realtor must be hired. There are countless downsides to selling your home that many don’t think about before beginning to list their home. What if we told you there was another, simpler way?
Selling your home to a cash buyer can be the solution you’re looking for, no matter what phase of life you are in. Whether it’s retirement, downsizing, or just wanting to move – there is never a bad time to sell! Cash buyers are typically a homeowner’s best bet for the quickest sale. If you’re interested in selling your home for a cash offer within days, contact Simple Sell Home Buyers.
Our team has made it our mission to serve people by making the process of selling their homes simpler and more accessible than ever before. At Simple Sell Home Buyers we offer competitive cash offers on the spot without any listing, prepping, or showings required from you. We run our business on honesty and integrity, which means we will always give you our best advice to make sure that your interests come first.
Image Credits
Hunter Real Estate / Google Stock Images
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Artisan CUstom Designwork / Google Stock Images
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