At the heart of winter, most people aren’t looking to move unless they have to. If you fall into that boat, selling your home may be more of a challenge than it was in the summer. You need to work a little harder to appeal to buyers because they aren’t competing against each other, you’re competing against other sellers. The best way to do this is to spend some time getting your home ready for the market.
Here are 7 tips you need to do to get your home ready to list:
Here are 7 tips you need to do to get your home ready to list:
Declutter
This is the most important step! Buyers want to see a move in ready home. Remove piles of paper, stacks of receipts, collections of toys and accumulations of shoes from surfaces and floors. Decrease the number of items in your closets, drawers and cabinets because buyers will be opening closets and cabinets too.
Rearrange
Move your furniture around or remove pieces to completely change the look of your rooms. Create groupings in spaces to define traffic patterns and make a room feel larger. Play around with different layouts and find what works best, even if it isn’t the most livable for now.
Neutralize
The bright orange wall you have sure looks nice with your couch, but it will likely put some buyers off. Before you list your home paint over brighter colors with a beige or a gray. Buyers often can’t see past bright colors. Neutral walls will help them see themselves building a life in your home.
Dust
Before your house goes on the market dust everything, and we mean everything. Remove all objects from shelves and other surfaces, dusting each item as you go, then dust the shelves. Use a pillowcase to easily dust ceiling fan blades. Run a dryer sheet across baseboard to dust and prevent new dust from settling there. Giving your home a good dusting now means it’ll be easier to keep up with as showings come in.
Depersonalize
This is one of the hardest things to do, but it makes a tremendous impact when selling your home. Pack away sentimental items such as family photos and religious symbols. Depersonalizing helps with #1, removing clutter and it neutralizes the home. Buyers are looking to see themselves in your home, not the family who currently lives there. Depersonalizing helps with the ability for buyers to visualize..
Freshen
Sofas, pillows and beds need to be addressed before each showing. Make every bed in the home and fluff pillows on the beds and couches before showings. Clean your curtains with a vacuum and consider steaming them so they are wrinkle free. Add clean towels to the bathrooms before you leave for the day. Paying attention to the small details such as soft surfaces makes a big impact on how potential buyers see your home.
Brighten
Replace dim light bulbs with brighter, daylight style bulbs. If you have hollywood style lights in your bathrooms, make sure the bulbs all match in color and tone. Don’t forget bulbs inside of closets, the garage and basement.
Taking time to prepare before your home is on the market reduces stress once it is go time. Contact your agent with questions about getting your home ready to sell!
This is the most important step! Buyers want to see a move in ready home. Remove piles of paper, stacks of receipts, collections of toys and accumulations of shoes from surfaces and floors. Decrease the number of items in your closets, drawers and cabinets because buyers will be opening closets and cabinets too.
Rearrange
Move your furniture around or remove pieces to completely change the look of your rooms. Create groupings in spaces to define traffic patterns and make a room feel larger. Play around with different layouts and find what works best, even if it isn’t the most livable for now.
Neutralize
The bright orange wall you have sure looks nice with your couch, but it will likely put some buyers off. Before you list your home paint over brighter colors with a beige or a gray. Buyers often can’t see past bright colors. Neutral walls will help them see themselves building a life in your home.
Dust
Before your house goes on the market dust everything, and we mean everything. Remove all objects from shelves and other surfaces, dusting each item as you go, then dust the shelves. Use a pillowcase to easily dust ceiling fan blades. Run a dryer sheet across baseboard to dust and prevent new dust from settling there. Giving your home a good dusting now means it’ll be easier to keep up with as showings come in.
Depersonalize
This is one of the hardest things to do, but it makes a tremendous impact when selling your home. Pack away sentimental items such as family photos and religious symbols. Depersonalizing helps with #1, removing clutter and it neutralizes the home. Buyers are looking to see themselves in your home, not the family who currently lives there. Depersonalizing helps with the ability for buyers to visualize..
Freshen
Sofas, pillows and beds need to be addressed before each showing. Make every bed in the home and fluff pillows on the beds and couches before showings. Clean your curtains with a vacuum and consider steaming them so they are wrinkle free. Add clean towels to the bathrooms before you leave for the day. Paying attention to the small details such as soft surfaces makes a big impact on how potential buyers see your home.
Brighten
Replace dim light bulbs with brighter, daylight style bulbs. If you have hollywood style lights in your bathrooms, make sure the bulbs all match in color and tone. Don’t forget bulbs inside of closets, the garage and basement.
Taking time to prepare before your home is on the market reduces stress once it is go time. Contact your agent with questions about getting your home ready to sell!