By: Carol Evenson
When you are putting your home up for sale, you want to find a potential buyer quickly. However, buyers often go through a couple of homes before choosing one. This means that you have to make your house appealing to stand out. Here are the best ways to get your home ready for sale.
Research Your Local Housing Market The first thing that you need to do before even making adjustments to your house is to research your local real estate market. Find out the value of homes in your neighborhood and the features that are attracting prospects. This will help you come up with the right listing price for your house. It is essential to work with an excellent realtor to help you set the right price. The realtor may also inform you of the effective ways to change the look of your house to the buyers' preferences. After you pick the right price and realtor, it's time to make some adjustments on the inside.
Clean like You Have Never Done Before
Nobody wants to purchase a dirty house. This means that you need to clean your home like you have never cleaned before. Every room should be sparkling. Don't let bad smells, dust, dirty floors, and stained windows or doors make you lose a potential buyer. Clean the toilets, mop floors, and scrub your bathrooms. If you have carpets, it is time to search carpet cleaning near me and hire professionals to clean the carpets. The cleanliness of your house should match the listing price and client expectations. Go through the house before opening the door for the buyer to ensure everything is clean and neat.
Depersonalize Your House
The chances are you had filled your house with family photos and artworks that defined your style. However, this is not a good sign for a potential buyer. You want the buyer to imagine themselves living there, and having your pictures on the wall will be doing the opposite. Also, if you have a pet, make sure that it is not in the house when the buyers come because some people don’t love pets.
When depersonalizing your house, remove any polarizing items, which include religious and political themes. You don't want a buyer to judge your home based on your beliefs. Therefore, the house should not define you at all.
Declutter
Remove all the unnecessary items lying around the house. Put them in a storage unit and take them to the store. Organize the closet to avoid having overflowing clothes. Also, make sure your utensils are well organized in the kitchen and not lying on the countertop. When a home is clutter-free, buyers can focus on the house and not the items that are lying everywhere.
Paint the Walls
Your walls may be dirty if you have been staying in the house for long. It is, therefore, important to paint your home before you invite potential buyers. Repainting the walls will make your house look clean and attractive. Use white or lighter shades if you want to make your house look bigger. These colors are also welcoming, which is a plus.
Buy Light Bulbs
When showing your house to prospective buyers, it is vital to keep the lights on so that they can see everything. You need more bulbs in the home. Don't forget to change burnt-out bulbs or damaged lighting accessories. The only time you may switch off the lights is when explaining to your buyers how your large windows allow in enough natural light.
Call a Handyman
It is essential to have a handyman on speed dial when your home is up for sale. The handyman can help you make small repairs such as patching holes on the wall, fixing broken locks, and repairing leaky faucets, among others. All your appliances should be working. Also, make sure that the grass is cut and the yard is well maintained.
Selling a home is a challenging exercise if you don’t prepare well beforehand. These tips can ease the process and increase the number of bids.
Carol Evenson is an entrepreneur and professional consultant specializing in C-level training and business growth. She currently works as a real estate agent and seeks to give a hand up to those that helped her during her come up in both corporate and personal real estate. Contact her at carolevenson5@gmail.com