How to Get the Most When Selling Your House
The process of selling you house can be one of the most stressful experiences of your life. Not only do you have to hope that the right buyer comes along to make you a fair offer, but pricing a home can be tricky business. You want to list at a price that is realistic, but it can be difficult when you personally assign an emotional value to the home that you have spent so many years in.
Many sellers, particularly first-time ones, tend to feel that their home is worth more than it is. Moreover, every seller wants to get as much as they can for their current home so that they can make a larger investment in their next property.
For all these reasons and more, you are likely looking for ways to get the most out of the house you are selling. Even though there isn’t much you can do in the short term about the structure and layout of your house, there are a few things you can do that will quickly add value to it and make the property more appealing to buyers.
De-Clutter and Clean
Any realtor will tell you that a buyer is far more likely to make an offer on a home when it is clean and tidy. Your goal is to help potential buyers imagine themselves living in that house. No one wants to take on a home that looks as though it hasn’t been looked after, and too much clutter can make the rooms in a house look smaller and more cramped than they really are.
You will need to do more of a deep clean on your home than you would typically do for your weekly cleanup. Start by taking a few days to sort through your possessions. Anything that can be taken down from the walls or off of shelves should be packed away. You might also consider removing some of your furniture so as to help buyers see the various rooms in your home at their full advantage.
If you do this process properly, you will likely end up with more items to store than will fit in your attic or basement. You can easily rent a short-term storage unit by going to https://www.StorageArea.com. Another benefit in doing so is that you get a jumpstart on the packing that you will be doing before you move into your new home.
Once the rooms in your house are de-cluttered and tidied up, it is time to get to cleaning. Pay attention to those areas that don’t generally get attention when you are doing your regular weekly clean. Baseboards and blinds should all be dusted and you should clean the interior and exterior of all your windows so that plenty of natural light can shine in. Anything that you can do to make your home appear as loved and fresh as possible will surely appeal to potential buyers.
Make Simple Repairs
The next thing you will want to do to get your house into prime selling shape is to go around the property and fix anything that is in need of repair. You might not have the capital or time to make major repairs, and that is perfectly ok. Instead, work with what you have.
If a wall has a large number of dents and scrapes, fill them in and add a fresh coat of paint. Sinks that aren’t draining properly should be unclogged and cleaned up. Broken or cracked tiles need to be replaced and any caulking that is moldy should be redone. All these things and more are fairly simple DIY projects that you can do on your own. However, it will take some time, so make sure to address these issues prior to showing your house.
Spotting these smaller issues with your home can be difficult when you have been living with them for so long. Try to take on the mindset of a buyer when you look things over. What are the things that you will be looking for when you start touring houses yourself?
Anything that would signify more work on the part of the buyer should be taken care of as they can deter someone from making an offer. Keep in mind that very few people relish the thought of having a list of repairs to make on a home they have just purchased.
Evaluate Curb Appeal
The first thing a potential buyer will see upon arriving at your property will be the exterior. Ask yourself how much curb appeal your home has. If you evaluate your house from the outside through the eyes of a buyer, you will most likely find at least one or two things that need addressing.
Thankfully, a quick coat of paint on the trim of your house and some light landscaping can generally do the trick. Trim back overgrown trees and power wash your walkway and driveway to give everything a cleaner, more maintained feel that will impress anyone who comes to take a tour.
