Don’t let prepping your house for selling get pushed to the back of your mind. Selling a home also often comes with buying a new house, and preparing for a move. You may ignore your current home, and think it’s alright as is. However, preparing your home for sale can help it sell faster, and may get you more money for the sale. There are many steps you can take to prepare your house for selling. The Lemmon Team at KW Realty wants to make it an easy process for you, so we’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks. Complete several or all these tasks to help your house sell faster and for more money.
Outside House Appearance
Start on the outside of the home by updating the curb appeal. You can do this by improving the landscape of your yard. Pot or plant some flowers, mow, seed, and water the grass if needed, clean up leaves, sticks, and other debris. Lay new mulch or decorative rocks where appropriate.
You also will want to clean the outside of the home. Pressure wash the siding, sidewalks, and driveways so they look clean and maintained. Clear gutters and pick up excess clutter in the yard. Wash outside windows and doors. Fix up any broken screens or frames. All these tasks will give the appearance of a well-maintained house, and appeal to buyers.
At the front of your house, give the front door a fresh coat of paint. Something that contrasts the house color, but nothing too crazy. Add a welcome mat and potted plants. Replace faded house numbers and any burnt out lights around the front door. All these cosmetic changes will give the house an inviting feeling. This will leave potential buyers with a positive first impression of your home. It will also start their house tour off on a good note.
Inside House Appearance
Once inside the house, you’ll first want to look at cosmetic changes. Start by removing clutter and depersonalizing the space. While all your personal pictures and knick-knacks mean a lot to you, potential buyers want to be able to visualize themselves – not you – in the space. Takedown photographs, and store extra items away. A self-storage unit may be a good solution to consider when removing clutter.
After you remove your items, paint bright walls a neutral color. While you may love fun, vibrant colors or accent walls, potential buyers most likely will not. Colors such as light tans and grays are perfect neutral colors for resale. Take this time with a decluttered home to also clean everywhere. Get under nooks and crannies that you may have skipped while living in the house. Everything should be shining when you finish. A clean home equals a well-maintained house for future buyers. When you complete cleaning and painting, add air neutralizers so there are no bad odors. Before any showings, take extra steps to ensure your home smells good. Do this by adding fresh flowers or baking cookies to entice buyers and make your house feel more like a home.
Finally, stage the area. All rooms should have a clear purpose, so future buyers can visualize how they would use the space. This means that your spare throw-all room should now get staged as a bedroom or an office. This allows buyers to see how they would utilize the space. Open windows, add floor lamps, and table lamps to rooms to add lighting. This allows your house to appear more inviting and larger. If you are not confident in your staging skills, consider hiring a staging company.
Digging Deeper Inside
After making all the cosmetic changes around the home, it’s time to dig a little deeper. Make repairs to things you have been putting off. Such as broken windows, squeaky doors, or pesky leaks. All these types of issues can scare off buyers. Update items, such as replacing hardware and faucets in the kitchen or bathrooms. Consider upgrading curtain rods, and updating door handles. Little fixes can make a big difference in a room. They make your house appear up-to-date, without breaking the budget on big renovations. Finally, organize closets, drawers, and other storage areas. Messes in these areas give the appearance you don’t have enough storage space in the house.
With all these items, you are sure to sell your house in no time, and maximize the profits on it! Use these tasks as a guide, and complete as many as you feel fit. Here at The Lemmon Team Real Estate, we want to make the whole house selling process an enjoyable one for you. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have. Check out our other blogs to learn more about buying and selling a house.