Selling your home can be an overwhelming task to prepare for. Whether you’re a seasoned home-flipper, or a first-time seller, there are a lot of things to cross off the to-do list before bringing your home to market. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our list—the sooner you start crossing off items, the sooner you’ll be bringing that check to the bank!
Declutter your space
If you’ll be living in your home while it’s for sale, the first thing you need to do is declutter. Go through old boxes, empty out hall closets, and donate or trash anything you don’t need. If you can, move a few pieces of furniture to storage for the duration of your home being on the market.
The idea with decluttering is to make any potential buyer feel that they can put their own stamp on the home: that means, you need to get rid of the stamp that you put on it.
Plus, emptying out your closets gives the appearance of more storage than might actually be there, so it’s a good idea to toss a few boxes of clothing into a storage unit before your home goes on the market. Personal items like family pictures and sports memorabilia can be moved to the storage unit for a while. It’s vital to take your home out of your house. As a bonus, decluttering your home makes packing for your move simple and spreads the process out over time instead of packing up all of your belongings in three days.
Clean the entirety of your home
Once you’re officially decluttered, give your home a deep clean, and we mean deep: move the furniture, break out the ladder to dust hard-to-reach places, and consider having a professional pre-move cleaning team come in and give your home a scrub down.
Buyers want to see pristine homes. Even normal wear and tear like off-color grout can make a beautiful home seem too lived-in and old. Wash your curtains or blinds, and have your carpets cleaned—the cleaner, the better. Try not to forget about the appliances (inside and out), and the windows as well!
Repaint to open up the space and catch the buyer’s attention
Have you ever watched a home makeover show and been frustrated each time a potential buyer exclaimed how much they hated the paint color in a room? It’s such an easy fix, why do buyers let the paint color in a home bug them?
Truth is, sometimes it’s hard for buyers to see beyond a loud layer of paint.
If you’re selling in an up-and-coming market, you might want to consider giving your interior rooms a fresh coat of paint. Most buyers these days are looking for neutral homes that they can put their own modern touch on, so swapping out warm yellows for cool grays and crisp whites could help your potential buyers put in an offer.
Repainting your home’s interior isn’t a one-weekend job, so start early if you have a lot of crazy colors throughout the various rooms in your home. Repainting in neutral colors will help your buyers see the room itself, and not just the wall color.
A home inspection could help you prepare your home for the market
Call in the professionals and have someone inspect your home from top to bottom as if you were about to purchase the house again. Ask about the integrity of the roof, foundation, insulation, HVAC systems, windows, and anything else you can think of. If your inspector comes back with a laundry list of suggested repairs, consider whether you will take on the cost of those repairs, or negotiate the list price down with your potential buyers. It’s guaranteed that their inspector will point out the same faults, which means that the buyers could end up backing out if you’re not willing to be flexible on price. Keep in mind that some buyers won’t be looking for work-in-progress projects once they sign, so a faulty hot water heater with a hefty price tag could make them walk.
Make minor repairs to achieve a well-maintained look
The repairs that you can easily make before putting your house on the market are worth taking the time to accomplish. All of those little items add up in a buyer’s eyes and may make your home seem like a fixer upper, even if it’s a few minor repairs. Make sure to fix:
- Broken crown molding
- Faulty door knobs
- Re-grout where necessary.
Enhance your curb appeal to make the right first impression
Your home’s exterior appearance is very important. Pay extra attention to your landscaping and overall curb appeal before the open houses commence!
- Trim bushes
- Mow the lawn
- De-weed the front garden
- Repair broken gutters and cracked concrete walkways
- Add a few potted plants to the porch to give your home a welcoming feel
- Power wash the siding
Selling your home is just as exciting as it is stressful. Stick to these to-do list items to get you started, and you’ll be signing on the dotted line in no time. When you’re ready to move to your new place, call Dowell’s Moving & Storage Victoria BC at 250-361-9866. We have a team of experts ready to get to work and make your move a breeze!