Even in a hot real estate market it makes good sense to do everything you can to get your home into prime selling condition before you list it for sale. With the natural goal of getting top dollar at the forefront of your mind, you want to make sure your home makes a perfect first impression. As someone who does a lot of staging, I’ve seen homes in every condition and have learned a lot about what it takes to create a sale-worthy home. Today I’m sharing my best tips for how to prepare your home for the real estate market.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HOME FOR THE REAL ESTATE MARKET
1/ MAINTENANCE -
You know all those things you keep meaning to replace or repair? It’s time to do them all. Walk through your house and write down everything you see that needs to be replaced. On a second list write down all the tasks that you need to make time for. A few examples of things that should be addressed are filling holes in the wall, fixing broken doors, hinges, repairing or replacing leaky faucets, replacing broken glass in windows. Be sure all lightbulbs are new and there aren’t any that are burned out. You want your home to look as light and bright as possible.
If you can’t do the fixes yourself, call a handyman. Plan ahead for this because trades are still extremely busy and it’s not always easy to line up a visit with a short window of time.
You want your house to be 10/10. Take care of all the issues you have been meaning to get to so that no buyer is tempted to lowball your asking price. And yes, you’ll probably fall in love with your home all over again once it’s in top shape. Just remember there’s something great waiting for you on the other side of this sale.
2/ CREATE A DRAMATIC FRONT ENTRY (both exterior and interior)
Make your front door and surrounding area extra inviting since it’s the first view to your home. You want buyers to feel excited just walking up to your door. The simple things you can do are to buy pots and fill them with colourful plants, add a great welcome mat and paint the front door if needed.
Some of the less obvious things that will help with curb appeal are to replace the light fixture and mailbox if they’re looking old and tired. Even if they’re still in great shape but they date your home, consider replacing them and updating the first impression.
Make sure you sweep the walkway and weed the gardens around the front door. You don’t want a potential buyer to think that your home is too much work. And lastly, if there are any railings that need to be replaced, do that. Not only are they a danger but it sets a bad first impression if things are broken before the front door has even opened.
If you have room, add a chair and small table to your front porch. This could be a quiet spot for a busy mom to take a break or dad to sit outside while the kids play. You want to make it really easy to imagine life in your home.
Want more tips on how to create a dramatic front entry? This post is filled with nuggets to get you inspired.
3/ CLEAN -
Make sure both the interior and exterior are spotless. You don’t want any negative distractions to deter a buyer. It’s true that sellers are selling a dream and nobody is dreaming about a messy home.
The first step is to declutter and remove unnecessary furniture. A crowded room will look small and obviously that's not the goal when selling. There’s a fine line between sparse and crowded. Just arrange your furniture in a way that makes sense and feels natural.
Now that it’s decluttered, do a deep clean and keep it spotless while it’s on the market. When your home sparkles it’ll be easy to view and ultimately, your efforts will be rewarded in the long run.
4/ CREATE SPACE IN YOUR CLOSETS -
You want your home to look as though there’s plenty of storage so don’t overstuff any of the closets. Buyers will walk away when they see that it could be difficult to live comfortably in a home. You may have become accustomed to things piled up in your closet because you know where everything is. Don’t assume that buyers will be willing to accept your bulging closets.
This might be a good time for you to evaluate what you need and what could actually be donated. Once you’ve done that, take a new look. Still too cramped? Take out of season items to a storage locker. If you don’t have an organization system in your closets consider adding some. There are big box stores that have them readily available so that you won’t need a custom solution.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed after reading this, don’t worry. I can help you with a staging consultation. Want to learn more about that process? In this post I outline how to prepare for the consultation and all the things we’ll do throughout the process.
Good luck with your preparations. Be sure to check back each month for new blog posts.
Kristina
