How to Ready Your Home for Sale
With depressed housing prices you are going to want to showcase your home in its best light to potential buyers to get the best possible price. This means taking an objective look at your home and fixing all of the things that may be deterrents. If you are wanting to sell your home, you need to be taking the following steps to ensure that your home will show well to potential buyers.
Start at the curb - Curb appeal is the first thing that any buyer is going to see at your home. Get in your car and pull up to your house and take an objective look at your yard. Ensure that shrubs are not overgrown, grass is cut and your landscaping looks finished. Look at the furniture that you have on your porch. Ensure that it is clean or has a fresh coat of paint. Get rid of any clutter such as old toys or other things that may be hanging out in your yard.
Eliminate the odor in your home - Neutralize any type of odor that may exist in your home, especially from pets or if you or someone in your family is a smoker. Have your carpets and drapery cleaned and air out your furniture.
De-clutter your rooms - Remember you are getting ready to move. Pack up any unnecessary furniture, knickknacks, art, books or other items that will be distracting from your rooms.
Depersonalize your home - The seller should be able to envision their family living in your home. That is hard to do when they are surrounded by pictures of your family. Pack them away.
Take care of small repair problems - Every home has a list of little things that you have not gotten around to fixing. Now is the time to fix them. Consider re-caulking around your sinks and tubs to give them a clean look. If you do not have time, consider hiring a handyman for a few hours.
Touch up or repaint - Ensure that your paint looks fresh. Consider neutralizing any strong colors that you have used in your home. Remember, you are trying to appeal to the widest array of potential home buyers that you can.
Straighten your closets, drawers and cabinets - There is nowhere that is off limits to potential home buyers and overstuffed cabinets and closets create a feeling of a lack of space.
Consider having your home professionally cleaned - Once you have done all of the above items, consider having a professional cleaning service to come in and thoroughly clean your home from top to bottom. They will be able to get baseboards and niches that you may miss. Potential buyers will not be attracted to cobwebs or hair on your bathroom floors. It will be much easier to keep it picked up once it has been professionally cleaned.