Putting your home on the market is a major decision. It can be costly and time-consuming if you’re unsure of where to start, and many people find that they need more time to get all the things done they want to complete before an open house. You may have small repairs or renovations to make, or you may need to make sure that the entire house is clean and free of stains or odors, especially if you have young children or pets.
Fortunately, there are several simple things you can do to prepare your home for the market. Starting with a solid plan will help you stay organized and reduce stress and anxiety during the process, which is imperative. Sit down and write out all the things you want to accomplish, and don’t forget about the exterior of your home. Landscaping, cleaning the gutters, repainting trim, and making small updates — such as adding new light fixtures on either side of the garage — will make a huge impact for very little money.
Keep reading for some great tips on how to sell your home quickly.
Clean Up
The first thing a buyer notices about a home is how clean it is. Because you see each room of your house every day, it might be difficult to really see it when it comes to cleaning, organizing, and decluttering. Start in one room and completely finish it from top to bottom before moving on to the next; give yourself at least a week to get the entire house done, and create a chore list for your family so they can help you keep up with the maintenance. This will be easier if you have the right tools, whether that’s a high-quality vacuum to keep your tile floors shining, top-rated microfiber cloths to get rid of dust, or top-performing scrubbing pads and cleaners.
Of course, there are only so many hours in the day to get things done. If you find yourself with too many tasks to complete, you might benefit from bringing in professionals to tackle the cleaning for you. With the national average cost of a housekeeper perched at around $100 per visit, fitting this expense into your household budget might be easier than you think.
Get Some Curb Appeal
Curb appeal is one of those things that many homeowners don’t even know they need until they see it done well on another home. This can include any projects ranging from landscaping to draw the eye up to the home, painting the front door a fresh new color, updating the lighting fixtures on the exterior of the house, or adding hanging flower baskets for a little brightness.
Depersonalize
Because your buyer will want to see your house as one they’ll be living in, it will benefit you greatly to remove overly personal touches, such as family photos, larger-than-life decor, and large personal collections of items such as movies or books. You might pack these items up and put them into storage for a little while in order to make the space more attractive to buyers; it will also help to remove one piece of furniture from the living room to make it look bigger.
Don’t Forget the Details
Try to look at your home with the eyes of a potential buyer. Does the railing on the staircase look like it’s been handled thousands of times? Are there small nail holes in the walls or handprints marring the paint? It’s important to look at these details and take care of them as soon as possible, as they may be more time-consuming to address than you think.
Taking on projects in order to sell your home can be a big job, so it’s important to ask for help–both from your friends and family members and from professionals. Give yourself plenty of time
to complete the projects so you won’t feel rushed and stressed. With a good plan, you can tackle all the renovations your home needs in no time at all.
Written by: Suzie Wilson