Selling your home doesn′t just mean hiring a Realtor® to stick a sign out front. There are a lot of preparations you should make to ensure you get the best offer possible in the shortest time.
Basics. Buyers want a clean house with good bones. Address the cosmetic issues (like cracks in the walls) and your big systems (like a rattle in the radiator). Consider a pre-market home inspection to see your home with fresh eyes and stand out from the competition! Clean interior light fixtures, windows, kitchens & baths beyond sparkly. And, really spend time considering the exterior of you home. First impressions matter: attention spent on landscaping, chipped paint and missing shingles will get buyers in your door and set your home apart.
Neutralize. Depersonalize your space. Take away clutter, family photos, minimize evidence of pets and all the wonderful stuff & junk that make this house your home. You want the home to be generic, approachable and fit common standards for use of rooms, colors and personality. As much as practicable, intense wall colors, nicknacks, trophies and disco lighting needs to be replaced with a sterile canvas for the new home buyer. Consider if your furniture makes your space appear smaller than it is. Think how understated a newly constructed home feels. It appeals to most buyers because it opens the possibilities and imagination.
Stage. Add generic sparkle to add warmth. Think about mirrors, plants and throw pillows that add a bit of splash. Get staging ideas from department and furniture stores. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but bring in a few new accents in trendy colors, like new towels, dining room place mats and shower curtains. By the way, your new updates will look great in your new home too!
Talk with your Realtor® several weeks/months before you are ready to sell. Besides offering tips and tricks to help get organized, your real estate professional can help prioritize the to-do list for items with maximum pop.
