Do you want to sell your house? If so, preparing you home, so that it shows at its best is imperative. This will ensure it sells quickly and for top dollar. Listings need to look like a display home, and not the messy, cluttered madness we all actually live in on a day to day basis. You know what they say… fake it until you make it. Not sure where to start? Well, don’t worry, we have you covered with our list of quick and easy steps that you should take prior to listing your home.
Declutter – Donate and Trash
When preparing your home for sale, decluttering and organizing are the first step. They make a huge difference in how your home shows. Make sure to sort through all your cupboards, closets and the garage. Decluttering these spaces makes them look bigger, giving the allusion that there is more storage space in your home. A good rule of thumb is, if you haven’t used something in a year, you don’t need it. If it’s a good quality item find a local charity that could use it.
While you are in the decluttering mood, remove everything from the kitchen and bathroom counters. Take down everything from the appliances including magnets, calendars and towels. Remember to also put away all personal photos and valuables. This gives the room a nice clean feel making people focus on the room rather than your strange hygiene products and personal belongings.
If you have pets, hide their beds, bowls, food, etc. as some buyers don’t love pets as much as we do. If you have children, and all of the stuff that comes with having them, try to have designated areas for kids toys and books.
Buyers need to be able to visualize themselves in the space, not you. More importantly when you are negotiation an offer, you want the buyers to have as little information about you as possible.
Clean your House
Some of the basic items that should be done, when preparing your home for sale, are dust the whole house, vacuum and mop the floors, clean the appliances, clean the windows and washrooms, and have the carpets professional cleaned. These not only need to be done prior to listing but also maintained continuously throughout the whole time your property is listed. Also, make sure to also clean up after your pets, there is nothing worse than walking into a listing and stepping into a puddle of cat urine…. yup, that is a true story.
An important part of cleaning you home, which is often overlooked, is having it smelling right. You many not mind the smell of your cooking, your pets, and your dirt but that doesn’t mean that everyone else does. As Real Estate Agents we find that our clients spend far less time in a property that doesn’t quite smell right over those that are odorless or have a light fresh smell.
What’s the solution? Open your windows and let in some fresh air. Turn the hoodfan on when you’re cooking. Light a scented candle before all showings. This needs to be a powerful but low scented candle. Alternatively you can try making our rosemary and orange stove top air freshener, the full recipe can be found here.
Curb Appeal
The first thing that buyers see when they arrive at your house is the exterior. If they are unimpressed on arrival, this sets the mood for the rest of the showing. Quick and easy fixes are, mow the lawn and rake the leaves. Remove weeds and plant some nice flowers. If you have large trees on your property hire a professional to trim them!
Lastly in our curb appeal section are decks, balconies, patios and walkways. These need to be powerwashed or washed with soap and water. Not only is this appealing to the eyes, it is safer because mildew can be slippery. Having good curb appeal makes a home looked lived in and well maintained, this is a major positive point for potential buyers.
Touch Ups & Repairs
Most buyers will complete a professional inspection of the property. Inspectors make a full list of items that require repairs. This list is then used against you as the seller to either negotiate repairs to be done by a professional or to reduce the sale price due to these required repairs. In order to avoid these costly negotiations, it’s best to ensure that everything that is broken or missing is fixed prior to listing your home. Replace broken handles, knobs, etc. Patch up the walls and touchup paint where needed. Also, make sure all of the appliances are in proper working order.
Lighting
Having a properly lit room is essential especially in rooms that lack natural light. Bad lighting makes rooms appear smaller and gloomy. Switch low voltage light bulbs and make sure all the lights in your home are working properly. If there are a large number of burnt out lights in a room, buyers often wonder if there is an electrical issue or if the owners are just too lazy to change them. 9 out of 10 times it’s laziness.
These are our the top items that must be done in order to have your property showing well. They are relatively straight forward, but they will help sell your home faster and at a higher price.
If you are thinking of listing your home go to our Home Seller’s Guide for more information, and if you would like a more personalized and extensive “To-Do List” to get your home listing ready feel free to send us an email.
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