Tips for preparing your home for sale

So it’s a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and as you’re driving through Central CT taking it all in you see an Open House sign, you hadn’t been thinking about moving but something about this house drew you in.  Once inside you immediately fall in love and decide you have to HAVE this house! Only problem is that you haven’t been thinking about moving and don’t even know where to start to sell your home.  Well here are some tips to give you a starting point.

 

The first thing to do is call a Realtor.  If you want to buy this home, you really can’t waste time by trying to sell it on your own, you need action quickly. 

 

Here is a list of things you should do prior to listing the home. 

 

1.    Clutter Reduction!  You know all those things you walk over or say that you have to do something about, well, no time like the present.  You may want to look into getting one of those portable storage units.  That may be the quickest and most convenient way to get all that stuff you don’t know what to do with and currently have no room for, out of the way. 

 

 

2.    Remove a lot of personal things.  You’re home is an extension of who you are and you most likely have pictures and personal touches all over the place.  You don’t have to get rid of every picture and memory, because then it will look cold and stark, but you want people to be able to imagine themselves in the home. If every inch is covered with pictures, mementos and other belongings, the prospective buyers are going to be distracted and not able to make put themselves living there. 

 

3.    A fresh coat of paint is always good.  If at all possible, painting would help too, especially if you have really dark and/or unique paint.  Neutral colors are the best way to go, and light, bright colors is a good way to battle rooms that don’t get a lot of natural light.  This will also help cover up any holes that may have been in the walls where pictures were hung. 

 

4.    Consider hiring a professional stager.  When living in our homes for a while we tend to make it functional to our needs and not really think about the flow of the home, that’s where a stager comes in.  I had clients with a very small, overcrowded house that hired a stager, at first I felt like it was a blow to my ego, then I realized as a Realtor, I know the business side of buying and selling homes, maximizing space is not my specialty.  Once the stager worked her magic the house appeared to have gained another 500 sqft, it was amazing and my client said it was well worth the little extra money they spent. 

 

5.    Clean!  As much as its no fun, take a day and completely clean from top to bottom  including windows, mirrors, cabinets, screens, floors and anywhere dust can be seen.  A clean house leaves people with a good feeling.

 

6.    Deodorize!  Being in your home every day there maybe certain odors you don’t notice that could have an adverse affect your home, cigarette smoke and pet odors are  the 2 biggest culprits.  The best in either case would be to wash the walls and steam clean carpets/rugs as well as wash any curtains or other washable fabrics that may be holding odors.  (this is where fresh paint would be really helpful too), and keep windows opened as much as possible. Subtle candles would be helpful, but you don’t want to over do it with added scents either.  Move litter boxes to the basement or somewhere out of the way.

 

7.    Curb appeal matters.  Cut back bushes and shrubs that are overgrown, use seasonal flowers to add some color and just do some overall yard maintenance.  Keep the lawn mowed as well.

 

8.    Home Inspection.  One thing you may want to do is get a home inspector to do a preliminary home inspection, this way when a prospective buyer comes in there won’t be any surprises and you can be pro-active to get some issues resolved and/or price accordingly. 

 

It may seem like a lot to do in a short period of time, but if you want to sell your home and get the highest price possible it’s well worth a little work.  Speaking of price, keep in mind your ideal sale price and what the Realtor thinks is a fair selling price may be completely different.  Just remember we all have the same goals and just like you’re an expert in your particular field, so are we.  You may have had an appraisal on your home 6 months earlier when you were thinking of refinancing that was $50,000 higher than the Realtor suggested price, but a re-fi appraisal has no bearing on the actually current market values that the Realtor is seeing every day, first hand. 

When you’re ready to sell or buy contact one of experienced agents at Coldwell Banker Premiere.