9 Tips For Getting Your Home Ready For Sale
9 Tips For Getting Your Home Ready For Sale
So You Want To Sell Your Home?
Here's 9 tips for getting your house ready for sale
When people look at your home they see a business purchase. For you the home has an emotional tie. Your buyers are looking to see what work they need to do, what upgrades they need to make, or what problems are possibly hidden that they can’t see. Buying property can be emotional for both the seller and the buyer, but the buyer will be very discriminating about the details.
What home upgrades are necessary?
Most buyers want a modern kitchen and an updated bathroom. If neither are upgraded, and you can’t afford to upgrade them, make sure the rooms look well maintained. This means fresh caulk around the bathroom fixtures, fresh, and neutral paint, and looking at your flooring to see how dated it looks. Snap together faux wood flooring is inexpensive, easy to install, and a good way to improve these two rooms. Are your cabinets old looking? Perhaps you can sand them down and stain them with a fresh color. There's not much you can do about old appliances, other than replace them, but having a tidy and freshly painted kitchen will help sell your home.
Clean Up The Clutter
You want to put your own family heirlooms in your house and so does your buyer. Too much clutter will make the house appear smaller and dirtier. Even if you have to rent a pod, de-cluttering your rooms will make your house seem larger and more inviting.
Make your front door Inviting
If your front door looks old and faded, paint it a fresh color. Place a nice new welcome mat there, and clean up all clutter around your front door.
Plant Some really Beautiful Native Plants with beautiful colors
Make sure there's fresh mulch around all your landscaping, and that the yard is tidy and mowed. You want that wow factor from the outside. I've had some clients not even want to go inside a house based on the curb appeal.
Organize Your Closets and All Your Drawers
Buyers do open them, and they want to envision enough space to hold their things put away.
Look At Your Paint Colors With A Discriminating Eye
You may love that burgundy red against the white washed accents, but your buyers may not like it. Painting rooms a nice neutral tan or grey not only makes the room look larger, but it will make the space feel bigger, and brighter.
Eliminate all the bad odors
Whether you cook a lot of ethic food with strong spices, or you have pets, odors can be a real problem when you try to sell your home. Light some scented candles, and make sure your carpets are free from pets stains and odors.
Make Repairs
Reapirs should be obvious, but many sellers put them off. If your front hose bib doesn't work, they will notice, and they will wonder what other "deferred maintenance" issues are around.
Have Every Room Clean And Shining
Cleanliness is important for selling your home. Make sure the surfaces shine.
Selling your home can be emotional for both you and the buyer. When you're ready to sell you have to let go of the emotion, and think about your home as a product. Would I want to buy my home the way it looks? Stepping back can be hard, but will make you more money when it's time to sell.
Linda Pelton Realtor® is a real estate agent in the Annapolis, MD area. With over 20 years of professional real estate experience, I have contacts that can help you sell or buy your home. These include lenders, lawyers, and title companies.
If you have any questions, such as how do you appraise my home, or how do I pay you to represent me when I am a buyer, please shoot me an email, or give me a call. I will be happy to go over all your concerns.