If you get everything ready, the process of showing and selling your property may go a lot more smoothly. Learn how to receive the greatest offers and the highest price for your property by preparing your home to wow buyers.
Similar to setting up a stage for a play, preparing your house for sale. Everything is set up comfortably, in the ideal location, and with perfect arrangement.
There are television programs like “Designed to Sell” that are entirely dedicated to making a plain, messy, uninteresting house ready for a speedy and successful sale rather than beautifying it. In comparison to comparable, improperly prepared properties, professionally prepared homes sell more quickly and for a greater price.
Get the boxes and cleaning supplies ready so you can sell your house quickly! You’ll enjoy how simple it is to turn a slowly selling property into a speedy sale with just a little hard work and an eye for aesthetics.
If you’re lucky, all that’s left to do is clean up the mess, add some fresh flowers, and take care of a few long-overlooked minor house repairs. Alternatively, you might need to paint or carpet your house again to give it a new look. You’ll be able to do most tasks on your own if you’re handy. However, if you want to install a new kitchen faucet or repair old window treatments, you might need to call a professional.
Put yourself in the shoes of a home buyer if you have any doubts about the value of making all of this effort or that it will have any impact on the sale of your house.
Have you ever taken a tour of a model home community? Fresh flowers are on the kitchen counter, the paint is new, the appliances are spotless, and there is art displayed around the home. There are no toys on the floor, the mirrors are spotless, and the towels are clean. The furnishings are cozy and the rooms appear spacious.
The restrooms and kitchens are spotless, fragrant, and devoid of clutter. The closets are clean or empty. The floor of the garage is spotless and appears considerably larger than you’d need for two cars.
Leave the model development and proceed down the street where the houses are older. The family room is filled with piled toys for kids. The garage is filled with so many boxes that not a single automobile could fit inside. Both the hallway closet and the bedroom closets are stuffed with boots and mittens. There are dishes in the kitchen sink and toothpaste on the bathroom vanity, but the house isn’t filthy. There are piles of homework on the dining room table. Because of the guests in the house, the family dog is barking and the floors are being scratched. The entrance “welcomes” you with dead plants.
Which home would be more enticing to you, all else being equal? Naturally, the first one! Although the residences are the same size, the first one appeared to be much larger due to the open layout. The house was prepped to show off all the positive qualities and none of the bad.
You might be able to organize and clean up by yourself if you’re a homeowner with a clear head. Because you’ll ultimately be packing up all of your belongings for a move, it shouldn’t be too difficult to box up unnecessary objects and clutter.
However, if you struggle with doing your own work, you should either ask a friend to assist you or hire a qualified home stager.
HIRE EXPERTS
Like any other professional service, a professional home stager may be found online. Get recommendations by asking around. You should ask your real estate agent. Many real estate companies maintain listings of specialists who can handle anything from cleaning a house to fixing a dripping kitchen faucet, and they presumably also have information on home stagers in your neighborhood.
Professional interior designers or home stagers bill by the extent of the job; fees can range from a few hundred dollars for a single room to a few thousand dollars for a full house. The amount and complexity of the labor involved will determine this.
Most will start by clearing out one area at a time before bringing your furniture and accessories back to create a more unified design statement.
Use the same method if you choose to complete the task yourself. No matter who performs it, home staging is home staging.
Do one room at a time if possible. Remove everything that is private, worn-out, filthy, or crowded. After properly cleaning all surfaces, only the beautiful parts should be replaced. Less is more in this situation.
CLEAR THE DECKS
Fill a storage facility you can rent or a friend’s garage with boxes of memorabilia, sporting goods, seasonal apparel, and extra furniture for a few weeks or months.
Then start to fill it with unwanted items. Include prepackaged products, cartons of garage debris, and stuff retrieved from attic and basement storage spaces. Get some of it out of the way before you start showing your house to potential buyers since you’ll eventually have to move it.
WHAT GOES, WHAT STAYS?
You are aware that people will peek inside your closets and cabinets. Make sure they are arranged properly and are not overly crowded. If you don’t try to display your entire wardrobe or china collection, they’ll appear more roomy. They don’t believe that! Allow potential purchasers to imagine what they want there. Will they fit, or will the lack of your own belongings make the room appear too small?
It’s time to sort through your belongings if your closets are overflowing. Items might be packed for your future house, sold, or given away. Every storage space in your house, even the showcase shelves, ought to be tidy, spotless, well-organized, and clutter-free.
REMOVE PERSONAL ITEMS
Remove your wedding photographs, religious memorabilia, the kids’ school pictures, and your refrigerator art collection. A buyer must be able to visualize living there. If your personal images, honors, and souvenirs are visible everywhere, that will be more challenging. The removal of these objects won’t take very long. Make sure to thoroughly wrap them before placing them in the storage container.
TAKE AWAY ALL VALUABLES
You’ll get a lot of visitors while your property is on the market, including prospective buyers, real estate agent walk-through groups, open houses, inspectors, cleaners, and handymen. Pack up your art collections, crystal, silver, and anything else that might be stolen or damaged before they go. You should prepare it beforehand as you will be relocating it anyhow.
MAKE A LIST
Ask a friend, your realtor, or your home stager to help you create a list of things that need to be fixed. Look for visible flaws, such as loose door knobs, burned-out lights, dripping faucets, or soiled carpeting as you gently make your way through each area. Add minor irritants or eyesores, such slick carpets or hanging extension wires, to the list. Take the opportunity to make repairs before potential buyers arrive.
BE READY FOR THE HOME INSPECTION
The majority of homebuyers use a third party inspector to examine the home’s systems before making a purchase. To find out which parts of a house will be inspected before the sale, ask for a copy of the home inspection report. Always try to fix everything that can be mentioned in the report. Although you won’t be able to predict every aspect of the inspection, you’ll have another chance to address any issues when the report is received.
If you need help in getting your dream home or selling your current home, feel free to contact me at 650.576.9565
