Selling your home involves more than simply placing a “For Sale by Owner” sign in the front yard and letting your social media friends know that your home is for sale.
Making the right decisions, including hiring the right real estate broker, and knowing things to do before selling your house, might just add several thousand dollars in resale value to your home.
There are several things to do before listing your home if you want to get the best price with the least number of days on the market. These home-prep ideas should give you the jump-start you need before you open your home to potential buyers.
Declutter and Depersonalize
Potential buyers want to imagine their own family living in the home, so depersonalizing should be your No. 1 priority when you are putting your house on the market. Buyers do not want to see family photos, your college football jersey or the blue ribbon that you won for your apple pie.
Depersonalizing also means decluttering. Your goal should be to present your home as move-in ready, so put away that stack of mail and find a place for the kids' toys and the extra shoes in the entryway.
Don't be afraid to invest in some totes, baskets or storage units to get things organized and orderly. You might even consider renting a storage unit while your house is on the market.
Repaint Walls a Neutral Shade
You may enjoy your teal accent wall, but do you want to risk that wall being a distraction or turning off a potential buyer who hates teal? Paint all the walls in neutral tones. Freshen the existing neutral walls with a new coat of paint.
Repainting with a light color is an inexpensive way to freshen your walls while also create the illusion of a larger space. Even if you only do a couple of rooms like the bathrooms and kitchen, your efforts will pay off.
Deep Clean and Make Repairs
Deep cleaning all rooms enhances the appearance of your home. Clean the counters, the fridge, around all appliances, and inside and outside of all cupboards and cabinets.
Consider deep cleaning your carpets. Replace old, stained throw rugs with new rugs in neutral shades.
Now is also the time to focus on the honey-do list and take care of any maintenance you've been putting off. If it is broken, fix it. Make sure to do things like replace burnt-out light bulbs, replace broken fixtures, fix leaky faucets and fix squeaky doors.
Stage Your Home
While you don't have to move out to sell your home, staging it as though it is new and less lived-in isn't a bad idea. Your overall goal should be to present a home that is cozy and comfortable. Consider hiring someone to get your house ready to sell, like a professional stager or an interior decorator. You can also try some simple things on your own, such as:
- Removing extra furniture
- Opening draperies to let in natural light and expose any ocean views
- Adding greenery or a fresh vase of flowers as a special touch
- Renting some pieces of furniture to use just for an open house or showing
- Making bedrooms "guest ready" with fresh linens and a basket of towels
- Adding some throw pillows to the couch and draping a blanket over an overstuffed chair
Create Great Curb Appeal
No one wants to pull up to a house for sale that has overgrown shrubs, weeds and outside clutter. Curb appeal matters to buyers, and the first impression is key.
Clean and depersonalize the outside, and you are likely to increase the value of your home.
Focus on the front of the home as well as the back. Consider placing outdoor furniture on the patio, repainting your front door, power washing your siding, adding potted plants to your porch and cleaning your gutters.
When it comes to Maine Real Estate Listings, the professionals at Swan Agency Real Estate have the experience to maximize your listing's exposure on local and global markets to find the right buyer and limit your home's number of days on the market.
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