How to Prepare your House for Selling
1. Research the Local Housing Market
The main thing to do is understand how much your home is actually worth. Compare the prices of similar homes in your neighborhood. This should give you some idea of what kind of price would be right for your home. Look at the square footage, location, and features of houses you compare. Consider how they compare to your own home. Reputable realtors can also help you find comps and determine the right listing price for the property.
2. Find Listing Agents
We recommend that you get the help of a professional real estate agent when listing the home. When you interview listing agents, ask them about their experience with homes in your area, their connections to potential buyers, and their experience with social media.
A good realtor can give you a plan for how they will sell the home.
3. Buy Extra Light Bulbs
Now is the time to get a lot of light bulbs. You need to make sure all the lamps and other light fixtures work properly when showcasing the house.
4. Deep Clean the House
First impressions are always important. Don’t let any dirty floors, dusty surfaces, or foul smells turn off potential buyers. Make sure to give the home a deep clean before you put it on the market. Clean the toilets, mop the floors, wipe down surfaces, clean rugs, and scrub the bathrooms.
5. Declutter Your Home
Decluttering the house and clearing space will make the home look more appealing. A clutter-free home will allow potential buyers to focus on the home itself instead of being distracted by junk and other things.
6. Bring in a Handyman
You should make sure that everything that has to be fixed – such as hardware, locks, toilets, faucets, appliances, and squeaky doors – are all fixed and working properly before putting the home on the market. Buyers might think that you haven’t taken good care of the home, which is going to turn them off.
7. Paint the Walls
There’s never been a better time to repaint your house. Get started by painting over bright colors with more neutral ones. Neutral colors make a home look bigger and more welcoming. Add some fresh paint to the home also covers the imperfections of the wall and gives potential buyers a blank slate.
8. Stage the Home
Multiple studies have suggested that staging the home helps it to sell faster and for more money. The good news is that it’s very affordable and simple to stage the home. Don’t forget to up the curb appeal during the staging process too. Any potential buyer will see the outside of the home when they arrive, so it should look as good on the outside as it does on the inside. Cut the grass, landscape the yard, and get rid of the clutter. If things are looking a little rundown, then consider adding an extra coat of paint to the exterior too.
9. Hire a Photographer
Given lots of potential buyers will discover homes online, you should have professional, high quality photos that properly display your home. Without these great high-resolution images, potential buyers can overlook your property. Before putting your home on the market, make sure to hire a professional photographer to get great images of your home looking its best.
10. Rent a Storage Unit
It’s going to take some decluttering to sell your home. You’ll have to purge a lot of your personal belongings. That’s why you should rent out a temporary storage facility before you sell your home.
11. Depersonalize The Home
Selling your home means finding a good balance between depersonalizing it while still maintaining a warm and welcoming home. That means putting away the bulletin boards, framed photos, and other personal items. Leave some framed photos to make things look more lived in and inviting.
