Getting Your Home Ready to Sell
First impressions are everything. Whether you're going for a job interview or going on a first date, you want to put your best foot forward to have the best outcome.
The same approach should be taken when listing your home. You want to "WOW" the buyer with how neat, clean and tidy your home is. Let's look at some ways you can prepare to list your home for sale and knock buyers off their feet.
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Deep Clean
This isn’t one of those one hour house cleaning that your used to doing. This is a full head to toe cleaning of your home including things we hate to clean like baseboards, ceiling fans, microwave, oven, refrigerator and blinds. I recommend using a professional company, and I can make recommendations, if needed. -
Handyman
Go ahead and complete any needed repairs such as replace hard to use locks, squeaky doors, broken appliances, running toilets, leaking faucets, etc. This will help prevent turning off buyers and reduce later repair expenses when contractors know you are in a rush to complete repairs and add a premium to their service. -
Lightbulbs
Make sure every light has a lightbulb. This will help illuminate your home during showings and later demonstrate to the home inspector that all lights are working. -
Curb Appeal
One of the first impressions of your home a buyer will get is when they drive up to your home. Make sure your yard has been recently mowed and edged, fresh pine straw or wood chip are in the flower beds, bushes are pruned, windows are cleaned and pressure wash the driveway. Place fresh flowers near the front door (when space allows) and add a new front door mat. This will help keep dirt being tracked into your house while leaving a good impression. I personally like the Welcome Home or This Could Be Yours mats. -
Paint
Remember that bright red room that you just had to have? Buyers most likely won’t like it. Go ahead and paint that room with a neutral colors like white, light gray or light beige. While you’re at it, go ahead and touch up the paint where marks appear on the walls or repaint the entire room. Buyers won’t like that either….trust me. -
70/30 Rule
70% of the floor should be shown while the remaining 30% is for furniture. We are selling space and having too much furniture makes rooms feel small. Having no furniture at all leaves buyers questioning if their furniture will fit in the home. If necessary, rent a storage unit for some items or consider donating them to your favorite charity. -
Organize Pantry
Buy some organizational containers bins and place smaller items like spices, cereal, fruit, candy, coffee, spaghetti noodles, etc. in them. This gives the buyers an impression that you’re a neat freak and that you take care of everything! -
Replace Air Filters
No one likes to look at air intake vents and see dirty filters or dust hanging on for dear life on the vent. Replace the air filters and clean the exterior of all vents. This will also help the efficiency of your HVAC system. -
Odorless Environment
ll never forget the time I walked a buyer into a home that had a plug-in candle in nearly every light socket. The smell was so strong that the buyer ran through the house quickly and then outside because she couldn’t breathe well. Your home should smell neutral. Don’t light candles or incents, bake cookies or use other “smell goods”. This can leave buyers with the idea that you’re trying to hide things. On the other hand, do your best to remove smells like pet odor and last night’s dinner or breakfast. -
Clean Your Washing Machine
What?!? I know. I know but yes. If your laundry room smells of mildew or your child’s sport, it’s time to buy some washing machine cleaner (very inexpensive) to remove those smells. -
Depersonalize
I truly love your adorable family photo of y’all at the beach. However, buyers want to visualize them living in your home which doesn’t include you. -
Kitchen and Bathroom Countertops
Go ahead and remove all appliances, toothbrushes, soap, etc. from these surfaces. We want to highlight all the space these have to offer and by placing them there makes the areas feel smaller. -
Refrigerator
I highlighted earlier the need to have the refrigerator cleaned but let’s take another step and organize items in there. Place items in rows and have labels facing towards the door. It shows that you’re OCD and keep things orderly. While we are at it, go ahead and remove all those magnets with family photos, calendar and reminders. -
Go Green
Studies have shown that having something green in each room appeal to buyers. Consider placing a plant or items that have green in them like a pillow, rug, picture, etc. Don’t go crazy and paint every room green though. Less is more! -
Clean Windows
I mentioned previously to clean the exterior of the windows. Now, let’s clean the inside windows to show buyers that gorgeous view that exists outside.
Please consider taking all of these steps and hopefully, your home may sell quickly and for top dollar. For more pre-listing tips and questions, please call/text me at 205-600-8682, via email, or leave a comment.
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