11 Steps to Prep Your Home to Sell
Congratulations you have decided to sell your home! Now, what do you need to do to get top dollar when selling your home? Your home could be your largest asset so let's look at the 11 steps in maximizing how your home shows to buyers. These steps are not in order of importance and some are more important than others. Please contact us for a personalized plan so there is no guesswork.
1. Have you ever walked through someone's home and seen all of their family photos for the last 100 years? What happens? Well most people look at them and guess what they're not looking at? Your home! Buyers are distracted by personal items such as photos, diplomas, etc. Let's remove the personal items from your home before showing.
2. How is your master bathroom countertop looking? It should be free of all items except for soap and a hand towel. Let's declutter countertops and rooms so they show the best. We know you love all of your sovenigers from your world travels but are you trying to sell your collection of stuff or your home? Let's make sure we are showing off the right item.
3. Most buyers are looking for a light and bright home. The best way to improve your north facing home natural light is to add new bright light bulbs to all of your fixtures. Make sure all light bulbs are the same color. Also, if you have a light fixture that dates the room or is just obsolete we may want to switch that out for a new fixture.
4. Would you purchase a home you can't see yourself living in? Most folks would not. When you enter a model home it's staged to fit the most amount of people possible. That's what we are going for. So a bedroom should look like a bedroom. Also it should be very usable and have a comfortable feel to it. If you are having a difficult time walking around the room, the room does not function correctly and some furniture may need to be removed or repositioned. Not only should the whole home have a good flow to it but also the individual rooms should too.
5. Your home needs to be clean. Think of a model home or a hotel that you have stayed in that gives you a feeling of cleanliness. That's what we are going for. This is not the surface appearance of clean but the real deal. When the buyer opens drawers they are clean. Case and base are dust free and look good. Light bulbs and fixtures look new and clean, not covered in dust and from 1990. Most folks have their homes clean once a week but focus on the typical kitchen, bathrooms etc. This is going above and beyond the typical cleaning.
6. Is your favorite room in your favorite color? Well if it's not white, grey or another color that's super netral it may be holding those buyers back from making an offer. Let's make sure the home is as neutral as possible so the largest number of buyers can see themselves living in your home. If changing it is not possible, at least give them the ability to see past your color choice.
7. Home improvements can make your home much more attractive to the buyers in the market. However, not all improvements add value and some are easier to do. If we have months before you're ready to go to market and you have a large amount of money it may make sense to redo a bathroom, refinish hardwood floors etc. If we are working with a few months of time, let's keep it more simple. Touch up paint, replace the door with a hole in it, replace the leaking faucet etc. For the improvements we want to focus on the items that look bad or take away from the marketability of the home.
8. When you pull up to that open house and the outside looks rough, do you still look at it? Are you excited to see it? Most likely not. It's a good idea to work on your curb appeal. Make sure the yard is free of personal belongings. If it's winter make sure walk ways are shoveled and don't have any icey areas. If it's summer keep your grass trimmed and flower beds free of leaves and weeds. You can spend a lot of money on landscaping and not see a big return. So be careful on what you spend your money on.
9. Is your closet overflowing with books and sports equipment? We should change that. Your closet should look like a closet and have enough space so the buyers can see their own personal items fitting in there.
10. Showing your home to all buyers in the marketplace is the best course of action. That means your home needs to be show ready at the drop of a hat. So get in the routine while your home is on the market not to make any messes. Make the beds in the morning, put the dishes in the dishwasher or wash them, put the laundry away etc. You're now living in a model home. Yes, this is uncomfortable and a pain but it will help you sell faster for more money so embrace the pain.
11. Now that you have been living in a model home for a while you get an offer and are under contact. The last thing you need to have happen is for the deal to fail over small maintenance items. Home inspectors are paid to find things. They will find things regardless if your home is new or old. Let's not give them much to talk about. Have you been putting off maintenance? Well we need to tackle those items.
Here are 11simple steps in order to prep your home to sell. However, life will always make these things more complicated. For instance, many sellers always have exceptions or need greater clarification on some items. Getting a professional real estate agent is crucial simply because they do this for a living and walk through thousands of homes with thousands of buyers. They are in tune with the current culture and design cues.Reach out to us today to get a customized roadmap for your home to sell!