Thinking of selling your home this year? Here are some things to consider as you begin to prepare your home for the market.
Are you considering selling your home this summer? The warmer weather will be here before you know it, and with it, lots of buyers looking for new properties. If you want your home to sell quickly and for the most money, use the days leading up to your deadline to your advantage. Create a thoughtful to-do list and tackle one item at a time so the process is not overwhelming.
Here are 5 tips to help you prepare your home with minimum stress:
1. Objective advice is key. Meet with a realtor or stager to get some professional advice on where to best spend your time and effort. A set of fresh eyes are important, especially if you’ve lived in your home for more than 3 years. Outside advice may bring up things that you have not considered. We all get used to things we live with, a buyer may take issue with something we see everyday. Keep in mind that the home you live in is different than the home you are presenting to the market.
2. Repairs? Schedule them as soon as possible, because chances are, if you are aware of something that is not in proper working order, a buyer’s inspection will catch it. Save yourself time, money and stress by scheduling those fixes in advance. Walk the property as you are preparing to sell your home, and tackle any repairs or clean up you may have been putting off.
3. Set goals to purge two times each month. One of the most impactful things you can do costs nothing but time. Ask yourself if you actually need or use a particular item? If the answer is no, then do you want to pay someone to move it? Extra furnishings can find their way into your house because someone gave them away or you just never took the time to sell them. Having these extra items in the house can make it feel smaller and sometimes older than it actually is. Removing clutter, taking down walls full of photos and extra decor will allow a buyer to actually see the product you are selling — the house! Remember, less is more. The house may look amazing and be completely your style with all the decor, but in order to sell the house, you want a buyer to be able to imagine themselves (and their style) in the home. Accomplishing this is almost impossible if every inch is full of furniture and taste specific decorative items. Doing this early on will only save you time and money when the moving truck arrives.
4. A simple, cost effective way to add new life to a home is fresh paint. If there are walls that were covered in a rich, deep color years ago, it may be time to freshen things up with a lighter color to provide a new perspective. If you’re having trouble deciding on what color to choose, neutral grays, whites and beiges are a safe choice and great starting point. Some of my favorite neutral colors are: Benjamin Moore’s Swiss coffee (Oc-45), Revere Pewter ( HC-172) and Manchester Tan (HC-81) as well as Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige (SW7036), and Alabaster (7008).
5. Finally, remember that first impressions mean a lot – so don’t forget to spruce up the front entry. If the porch is unkept and the front door is covered in scratches, it will make the potential buyer wonder what other repairs need to be addressed in the home. A great way to approach the front of the house is as if you have never seen it before. Ask yourself questions like, is there anything that stands out? Do the trees or bushes need to be trimmed? How does the lawn look? This is your chance to say, “Welcome home!’ to your potential buyers.