Have you considered putting your home on the market?
If you answered ‘yes,’ you can do a few simple things to attract buyers and sell your home faster.
In this article, we discuss five tips to prepare your home for sale, why it’s essential to put time into completing these preparation tasks, and what things you don’t need to worry about.
With a bit of elbow grease, you can get your home in tip-top shape for showing.
Why You Must Prepare Your Home Beforehand
While selling a home can be an exciting time in your life, you don’t want to prolong the experience by having your home sit on the market too long. Investing a little time into preparing your home for sale gives you a leg up on the competition and sets your home up for successful showings.
But how do you prepare your home to show well and attract your ideal buyer?
We’ve written a list of the top five things you can do to prepare your home and attract potential buyers. You can do many of these tasks on your own without hiring a professional. Read on for our tips and tricks, and let your home shine like the diamond it is.
5 Tips to Attract Buyers and Get Your Home Sold
1. Organization Overhaul
It seems the longer we spend in a home, the more things accumulate and multiply over time. From the toys your kids outgrew five years ago to the overstuffed armchair you’ve been meaning to donate for ages, homes tend to hold a lot of memories – along with the items those memories are attached to.
While your old race medals and bike parts may bring back fond memories, chances are they won’t win over any potential buyers. However, this is an easy problem to remedy.
Take some time to sort through all the things in your home that aren’t necessary for daily life and put them into three categories:
- Purge – This category is for all those items destined for the trash bin. Broken toys, expired pantry foods and spices, non-functional electronics, and junk that can’t be donated or sold to someone else.
- Donate or sell – The next category is for items you do not want to bring into your new home but may bring value to another person. This may include clean, outdated furniture, cookware, plants, and sporting equipment. You can either sell these items at a garage sale or list them online and have a little extra cash on hand, or donate them to a thrift store or shelter.
- Pack and store – Once you have purged and sold all your unwanted items, you will sort and pack the things that will come with you but aren’t necessary to keep out as you sell your home.
Be sure to label everything you pack up so it is easier to locate later. If you don’t have a discreet location in your home to store your packed items, you can rent a storage unit to keep them safe and dry until you are ready to unpack them.
2. Depersonalize Your Home
This is probably the hardest thing to do, but depersonalizing your home allows potential buyers to visualize themselves living in the space. Removing portraits and personal items creates a blank canvas for others to start painting their own dreams and visions.
If there are some deeply personal items you can’t bring yourself to pack away just yet, keep them displayed but hide them away for showings and open houses.
3. Find Your Ideal Agent
Selling a home is a personal, sometimes challenging, thing in a person’s life. That is why finding an agent you genuinely like and trust is essential. They will go to bat for you and be brutally honest with you when you need it the most, so you shouldn’t be hasty in deciding who you would like to represent you.
Some things to look for in a potential real estate agent include the following:
- They have a deep understanding of the area and its unique qualities.
- Their network is solid, and they have the respect of other real estate professionals.
- Their personality and communication style are a match for you.
- They have a wealth of knowledge in the market and can patiently guide you through decision-making.
4. Make Necessary Upgrades and Repairs
A fresh coat of paint is one of the simplest ways to give your home an instant facelift. You would be amazed by how refreshing it can be to cover up scuff marks and blemishes and how it can brighten up a space. This trick is also very economical since many sellers can do this on their own with a few painting supplies.
You must also make any repairs that pose a potential hazard, such as electrical or plumbing issues. Minor issues may be easy for the seller to take care of themselves, but a professional should be consulted to ensure the issue is handled correctly.
Simple upgrades could also make a big difference. Energy-efficient appliances and fixtures can save a buyer money over time, making the home more attractive and practical.
5. Don’t Forget About Curb Appeal
While a lot of emphasis is placed on a home’s interior features, curb appeal is like the first impression on a date. You don’t want your home to fall flat before a potential buyer has stepped foot inside. A few simple projects can freshen up the exterior of your home and make it more inviting.
Some easy-to-do curb appeal projects to prepare your home for sale include the following:
- Clean up hedges and trees and trim away dead branches and asymmetrical edges.
- Weed the flower beds.
- Make sure your lawn is adequately watered and mowed.
- Remove any debris or toys from the front yard.
- Keep the front porch swept off and clear of cobwebs.
- Clean your windows and gutters.
Fixes You Don’t Need to Worry About
After completing the five steps to prepare your home for sale, there may be a few other things you aren’t sure about. While you want your home to attract as many buyers as possible, you can’t always do all the things in a time/money crunch.
Some tasks you can leave off your to-do list include the following:
- Cosmetic flaws – While a pink bathtub may seem outdated, you don’t have to worry about a complete bathroom remodel if it isn’t within your budget or timeframe. This also allows a buyer to transform the bathroom to fit their taste.
- Drabby window treatments – If your window treatments are dated or in disrepair, simply remove them before listing your home, and don’t replace them.
- Every tiny detail – The goal is to show potential to a buyer. You don’t need to drive yourself crazy over perfection. You can always ask your real estate agent for advice when in doubt.
Team North Star consists of a dynamic team of realtors who contribute in a group effort to help our clients successfully achieve their real estate goals. We are happy to chat if you want to discuss how to prepare your home and ask questions!
Contact us today and start your journey.
