You have decided to sell your home.
What’s the next step?
One of the first and most important steps when selling is preparing your home for homebuyers. The goal of a seller is to appeal to as many of a buyer’s senses as possible. You should consider how your home looks, feels and smells.
Time and money may prevent a homeowner from a great deal of repairs and remodeling, but these TOP TEN TIPS should fit in most people’s budgets!
- Declutter. Tackle decluttering room by room. Make sure that a buyer is not seeing your personal toiletries or century-old family-picture collage — you are moving, aren’t you?
- Consolidate. It is hard to declutter when you are in the process of moving and boxes are stacked to the ceiling. One strategy is to rent a storage unit or POD. Another cost-saving option is to consolidate all your boxes and store them in one room (neatly) that will not be featured in the photo tour.
- Clean, Clean and More Cleaning. If your budget allows, or if cleaning is not your talent, consider hiring a professional cleaning crew for a very deep clean prior to listing your home for sale. These professionals have the tools, manpower and chemicals that most homeowners don’t have on hand. vercompensating in the area of cleaning will put money in your pocket.
Clean your appliances! Clean out your gutters.
Major areas that homeowners seem to overlook are air-conditioning vents and ceiling fan blades! The best advice I give homeowners is to overcompensate in the area of cleaning. A home that is move-in ready is a home that buyers can wait to complete desired upgrades and repairs. - Pets. (Most) everyone loves Fido or Kitty but pet odors are one of the main reasons potential buyers exit a property early. Ask your friends and family to be honest with you! Consider painting a few walls. The smell of fresh paint signals “new, new, new” home!
Toss a dozen easy-bake cookies in the oven before a showing and offer them to buyers. Throw away all of Fido’s bedding and replace it with new bedding. Also, carefully consider where you put the cat litterbox. Buyers cringe when they see a kitty litterbox under the kitchen sink. - Repair Exterior Wood Rot. We live in Florida where water and moisture wreaks havoc on our window and door trim. You may as well get started making these repairs so you will be a step ahead of your buyer when they ask you to repair the wood rot and you then have to scramble to find a carpenter or handyman in a short period of time.
- Landscaping: Don’t skimp on landscaping. They don’t call it “curb appeal” for nothing.
- Neutral Interior Paint Colors. The black punk rock wall in the dining room isn’t going to appeal to 98 percent of buyers!
- Pressure wash your walkways and pool deck. Algae is not only an eyesore but a major slipping hazard.
- Replace all lightbulbs and consider having all faceplates matching. Such a quick fix shows the potential homeowner that you care about the upkeep of your home.
- Have the chimney cleaned and inspected by a chimney sweep professional. Your buyers will appreciate that you have had this inspection completed as most home inspectors don’t offer chimney inspections.
Hope this Top Ten list helps get you started! Please note that realtors often come out to view homes months and even years before a sale is considered, so don’t hesitate to invite your favorite realtor to view your home in advance.
Happy selling!