HOW TO GET A HOUSE READY TO SELL: 7 PRACTICAL TIPS
Are you getting ready to sell your home?
These days, most buyers aren’t looking for a project. They’re looking for something they can picture themselves living in that’s well-maintained and ready to move into. With so many other homes on the market, it can be hard to know to make yours stand out from the crowd.
Don’t worry! Read on for 7 tips on how to get a house ready to sell.
1. Depersonalize…
The first of our tips for home sellers is to put away any of your personal items around your home. These include:
- Photographs
- Heirlooms
- Art/clutter
Potential buyers want to be able to see themselves living in your home. If your home is too personalized, it will stop them from doing that. So, you want to make your home a blank canvas for those coming to view it.
2. Declutter
Also, declutter the items you’ve accumulated over the years and no longer need. You can give them away to charity or recycle them.
Make sure you’ve packed up your books from bookcases and remove other ornaments. Make sure the clutter is gone from kitchen surfaces. It might be a pain while you still live there but it will be worth it for that sale.
3. Rent a Storage Box
Once you’ve depersonalized and decluttered, you need somewhere to store those items. Renting a temporary storage box is a good solution. It’s a place to store your extra stuff already packed away while you’re staging your home for viewings.
4. Call a Handyman
Make sure you’ve fixed or touched up everything that needs doing before looking to sell. Think of things like:
- Locks
- Squeaky doors
- Cracks in walls
- Chipped or peeling paint
If you don’t, buyers might think your home isn’t in good condition. This can be a turn-off, as a lot of people don’t want a ‘project’.
5. Buy Extra Light Bulbs
Keep a stock of extra light bulbs in the house. When staging your home for viewings, every light in the house needs to work. You’ll need to keep them turned on too. As such, you want to have a stock of spare bulbs so when one blows, you can replace it with ease.
6. Make the House Shine
It pays off to clean your home from top to bottom when looking to sell. It might even be worth hiring in the professionals. Make sure you’re cleaning windows inside and out. Hire out a pressure washer to get into those cracks between the paving stones.
Get rid of dust from under the furniture and on top of cabinets. Be thorough and make the whole house shine!
7. Step Up Your Curb Appeal
First impressions are key, and an unattractive exterior to your home will put buyers off. Buyers are looking for something low-maintenance and ready to move into. So make sure you:
- Update your front door and porch to be cleanly painted and in good working order
- Add flowers and fresh mulch – buyers love a pretty garden
- Always have a freshly cut and well-maintained lawn
- Keep trees and shrubs cut back and neat
- Make sure driveways and paths are in good condition
How to Get a House Ready for Sale the Easy Way
So there you have it! Now you know the best ways to get a house ready for sale.
Following these simple tips will allow your home to show off its potential, and give buyers a blank canvas to visualize themselves living in. Some of them will even make it easier to move out once you sell!