Selling a house is a big deal, and it comes with a lot of small steps. Everyone hopes their home sells as soon as possible for the best price, but that doesn’t always happen. There are, however, things you can do to prepare your home to draw in prospective buyers and get a bidding war brewing.
Preparation is everything. In order to get a quick sale and a good price, you need to plan. It will involve packing, making repairs, cleaning and organizing to present your home in the best possible light.
Taking the time to go through the following steps can help you understand what areas to focus on and what you need to do so you can have your home ready to go when the time comes to list it.
Work with the Best
It’s wise to touch base with a local real estate agent when you decide to sell your home. Especially if you’re planning to make significant changes or improvements, it’s helpful to get a professional opinion. Local agents will understand the market and be able to give advice as to what features are more or less sought after by local buyers. For example, if you’re selling a house in Bowmanville, you want to work with the best Bowmanville real estate agent to ensure you’re getting the most relevant advice about your home.
Declutter and Depersonalize
Something that takes many sellers by surprise is the strong emotions that can surface throughout the selling process. It’s hard to say goodbye, and these emotions can pop at any point. One of the hardest parts can be depersonalizing the house. This involves packing up personal photos, heirlooms, knick-knacks and religious items. These are part of what made your house a home, but they will also make it difficult for potential buyers to envision their own lives in the space.
Depersonalizing is a good start in the decluttering process. Overall, you don’t want your house to look cluttered and cramped, so packing away excess belongings and furniture can help to open the space up. Clutter can also distract from your home’s highlights and features, so this is a crucial step.
Make Repairs and Improvements
It’s always a good idea to go around and make repairs to things that you’ve forgotten about, overlooked or that have faded into the background. You might be used to the faded paint, leaky faucet or chipped tiles, but they won’t go unnoticed by home buyers. Put up a fresh coat of neutral paint, go through your home with a critical eye, and make all necessary improvements and upgrades.
Deep Clean
Making your house sparkle is the last step and one that is more intense than many first realize. When people look through a house, they open drawers, cupboards and closets, so you really have to get into every nook and cranny. Once everything is clean and polished, you can keep it up as your home is shown to buyers by vacuuming and sweeping daily, regular dusting, and focusing on the bathrooms and kitchen.
Follow these four steps to get your house ready for buyers to come through, and soon enough, you’ll be hanging a sold sign.
