While each home, and every market can create some subtle differences for what needs to be done to get your home ready to sell, there are a few core steps that should be done no matter what. After all first impressions are VERY important – our goal with everything we do is to try and help prospective buyers start to picture themselves living there.
This week’s question came in from Facebook: how should I prepare my house before selling it? Today, I cover the most important things I recommend to everyone I work with.
The biggest thing to keep in mind when selling your home is that first impressions are so, so important. The best thing you can do is to help the people who are visiting your home to visualize their life there.
1. Make the outside shine
There are a number of small things that can make a big difference, starting outside: cutting the grass, weeding the gardens, tidying up outside, maybe sweeping the driveway. Then getting rid of those garbage cans and recycling bins, hiding them. That’s how you start.
Next, move on to the slightly bigger tasks. It’s more work but those are the things that can make a huge difference when starting to share your home. For example, if your house has wood siding that looks a little rough, maybe consider painting it. Just make sure you choose a neutral color now is not the time to express your artistic side.
2. Continue by declutting your inside
Next up are a few things you can do inside the home. And it starts with decluttering surfaces: Clear off console tables, kitchen cabinets, and countertops, shelving–just really tidying up all those cluttered areas.
If surfaces are cluttered, it’s gonna make the house look like it’s bursting at the seams. And that’s the opposite of what we want. We want people to feel that there’s lots of room for all their things. What you want to do is take this as an opportunity start your packing, so that any extra things lying are being packed and put aside.
3. Clean and cover, wear and tear
Another great thing you can do is wash your walls, baseboards and around light switches. Those are the areas that tend to get a lot of dirt that you don’t necessarily get every regular cleaning. Another pro tip is actually to use a magic eraser it works fantastically.
Another thing to keep an eye on is those areas that get a lot of wear and tear nicks and scratches in the walls scuffed up floors, it’s definitely worth repairing because it’ll have a positive impact.
4. Neutralize, not sterilize
Paint colors is something you want to look at as well. If you have a lot of dark colors or things that are too personal, you’re going to want to go with something more neutral that more people will like.
One of the things I’ve actually heard people say is that they should take down the family photos. I really disagree with this, I say keep them up and celebrate family.
5. Finish up by finishing up
Regarding renovations, it’s really comes down to a case by case scenario whether it will have an impact on the signing price or not. If you have no holes in the walls are things that you can prepare yourself simple things replacing boards on decks, go ahead and do it. Or if you have renovations that are unfinished, I would definitely say you’re going to want to go ahead and get those prepared before you sell the home.
Beyond that if you’re looking to sell your home and you want to know if a particular renovation will add value to your home, feel free to call me anytime we can discuss it and go over each case by case scenario. I’d be more than happy to provide some help and advice there.
Key takeaways
Generally speaking it makes sense to start with the small things and working your way up to the bigger tasks:
- Clean up the outside of your home
- Continue inside with decluttering and packing
- Clean up, or cover, worn areas
- Neutralize dark or personal colors
- Finalize unfinished renovations
This is #AskPete. If you have any real estate questions, feel free to send them and I will get you the answers. Or stay up to date on the latest tips for real estate buyers and sellers by clicking the YouTube button below: