Preparing Your Home For Sale
By: Meagan Young
Decided you want to sell your home? Well there are a few things you should do to your home to help it sell faster and at a higher price. When you prep your home, you make it so that those looking at it will like the home and can picture themselves in it.
Here are a few pointers when you are preparing your home for sale. You’ll want to give yourself a few weeks to prep your home before you start selling.
The first step is to understand that in a little bit this home will not be yours. You’ll want to make the mental note to let go of the emotional holdings you have on the house. You’ll want to focus on the future, and get ready for the better things to come. Having this mindset will help you declutter the home and get rid of things that you’ve been holding on for awhile that have emotional standings.
The next step would be to de-personalize the home. This is why the first step of an emotional let go of the home is so important. Packing up family pictures, memories and family heirlooms is a great way to help the house look like another person’s home. It also makes the house look generic so that the people looking at the home can picture their stuff in the empty spaces you leave by taking your stuff out. You don’t want those looking at your home to be distracted by your old soccer trophies and family pictures from ancestors. You’ll want to make the home look as clean and uncluttered as possible.
The third step is to de-clutter. This goes along with number two. You’ll want to get rid of all the stuff that is on counters, or on table tops. You’ll want the area to look open and ready to put someone else’s stuff. Clean off bookshelves, get rid of the little knickknacks, and put stuff that clutters the area, but necessary in a box and keep it in the garage or in a cupboard or closet for easy access. This way it makes it so that others don’t feel overwhelmed. This will also make your home look larger and open! Both of which are great things to have a part of your house. This is a great way to start packing up! It gives you a jump start on the huge job ahead–moving out.
Rearranging is the fourth step. Everyone is curious when they look in other people’s homes and so make it so when they look they’ll be impressed! Re arrange your closets, the pantry–make it look like you have always kept the home neat and tidy. Organize shelves, drawers, and other places that you know that potential home buyers will want to see size and shape, but will also be seeing your personal items.
After you’ve done rearranging and decluttering, you’ll probably have a lot of items without a place to stay. This is where renting a storage unit comes in handy. If you haven’t gotten a home to move into yet, this is a great way to keep stuff out of your home and garage, but safe and secure. Leave just enough furniture so that the home buyers can see the layout and purpose of each room, but don’t get too crowded and have to squeeze through tight areas.
Another thing before you show the house, you’ll want to make sure that any personalization of the home that you’ll want to take with you that is “part of the home” is changed. For example, a chandelier in the dining room which you have had in the family for generations, those things will get buyers excited and you’ll have to turn them down. You don’t want them to think they’re getting something they aren’t. You want to be open and honest. Replace things in the home that you want, such as in place of the chandelier place a newer light fixture, but make sure it still fits the home and adds personality.
Fix all the little things that need fixed. Patch little holes in the walls, paint walls a neutral color, remove old wallpaper, and replace burnt out light bulbs. Also it’d be a great time to replace or wash the bedspreads, sheets, towels and get some simple decoration.
Cleaning the house — inside and out is the final touch. Once you’ve fixed everything and decluttered, make everything clean and sparkly! Dust furniture, wax floors, vacuum every room daily. Also make sure that the lawn and bushes are trimmed to perfection! Place some plotted plants by the front door, and re paint the window trim, all these seemingly little things can add a lot to the home looker’s experience.
Basically, make the home appealing to everyone! Would you want to go inside the home and check it out? That’s the key!
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