The exterior of a house, learn about preparing your home for sale
The goal of every homeowner selling their home is clear – to sell. The sooner, the better, right? However, as there’s no guarantee of how long the property will stay on the market, it’s only natural that one would do anything humanly possible to get that home sold. Putting a bit of work into the house is essential. At least, if you’re looking for the best offer, there is! With that said, we encourage you to resort to preparing your home for sale before listing it. And to give you some ideas, we have collected no less than seven tips!
Preparing your home for sale done right
You’ve determined that NYC life is no longer for you and would rather sell your house and move someplace else? Luckily, moving anywhere you decide to go is certainly possible once you’ve found adequate relocation specialists, even if the new destination is hundreds or thousands of miles away. Still, before planning the move, you’ll need to tackle the sale. And what better way to ensure a fast sale than to present your soon-to-be-old home in the best possible light.
#1 Have a talk with the realtor
Most people decide to talk with a realtor after their home has been rendered spotless. However, it’s actually recommended you have your first conversation and show them the place before you’ve made any changes. An excellent real estate agent will be able to see the property’s potential even without the work being done to it. Furthermore, they might be able to give you some pointers as to what updates are to be made. After all, an experienced realtor knows the market and the local buyers well. They know what features are being sought after. So why not pick their brain and make updates according to demand?
#2 Remove traces of yourself from the property
Before showing the house to interested parties, you’ll need to, first, depersonalize it. Or rather, remove everything that might remind them that somebody is still living on the premises. The place should be completely neutral, with no personal photos, toothbrushes, and anything that might suggest they are only strangers in someone else’s home. Your primary goal should be to help buyers envision living their lives there. In a sense, you want to make the house a blank canvas. One that they can paint to their liking!
#3 Put effort into decluttering
Preparing your home for sale doesn’t have to cost a fortune. What it will cost you, however, is time. Nobody likes a house full of clutter, which is why you’ll need to put some effort into getting rid of it to ensure a quick sale! Go through your belongings to determine what you need and what you are better off donating or throwing away. As a bonus, decluttering will also make the whole packing process more straightforward and the actual relocation more affordable. After all, with fewer things to bring, the lower will the costs of your move be.
#4 Deep clean the property
No buyer enjoys walking into a house only to be greeted by a terrible stench. They don’t like the appearance of mold and dirt, either. As all of the mentioned hurt the sale, deep cleaning the property prior to putting it on the market is a must. You can either deep clean the property yourself or have somebody else do it for you. In general, sellers typically hire companies specializing in deep cleaning services, as they have the equipment and the tools to handle the process adequately.
#5 Replace light fixtures
Believe it or not, well-lit homes have an advantage over gloomy ones. Those who receive plenty of natural light tend to stay on the market the shortest. And while there’s only so much, you can do about the amount of natural light the property gets, upping your lighting game is possible by replacing the old fixtures with new ones and perhaps adding a couple here and there. There are plenty of inexpensive yet stylish and quality options out there. Yours is to shop around for the one that seems most suitable!
#6 Stage to sell
Research suggests that professionally staged homes sell much faster than those that haven’t been arranged in a certain way. The costs of staging vary; in specific cases, you could be expected to pay several thousands of dollars for such a service. However, wouldn’t you agree that spending a little to ensure a successful sale is absolutely worth it at the end of the day?
When looking to hire somebody to stage the property, make sure to pay attention to whom it is you’re hiring. Staging done wrong could end up discouraging potential buyers from making an offer, and that’s precisely what you’re trying to avoid! When in doubt, consult your realtor, as they might have a recommendation or a few.
#7 Have a professional photographer take photos
As we live in the digital age, most house hunting is done online before it ever takes place in the offline world. In other words, a prospective buyer will first see your home on a realtor’s website. That makes photos of the property their first impression of it. And aren’t we taught that the first impressions are the most important?
Have a professional photographer take house photos to tickle the buyers’ fancy. They’ll be able to accentuate its best features, all so that it can be presented in the best possible way, thus helping you prepare your home for sale but also helping you actually sell it.
As you can see, preparing your home for sale doesn’t have to be such a daunting task. The most important thing is to start early and have a plan. The excellent organization goes a long way, and best of all, your future buyers will greatly appreciate it.
Meta description: This article contains seven expert tips on preparing your home for sale. Adhering to them will increase your chances of selling fast!
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