Little things can make a big difference. We all want our home to sell quickly and for a big profit, right? Of course we do. But it takes work and planning to make that happen. Now is a great time to start preparing your house for a spring sale, and here’s where you can start to prep indoors during the cold weather. Read on for three essential steps that will attract buyers and help you make a quick sale at top dollar.
1. Declutter!
Goal: Make your house look its best by clearing out clutter. You’ll benefit by getting rid of things you don’t need and by getting a head start on packing for your eventual move.
Don’t I know it—many of us tend to collect an amazing amount of stuff over the years. While we have many good reasons for keeping things—emotional attachment, we’re going to get them fixed, we want to pass them on—the hard truth is, if you haven’t used something in over a year, you probably don’t need it. The general rule of thumb is to eliminate half of your belongings—clutter can cost you a sale. When you decide put up your home for sale, the first thing to do is to start decluttering and packing away some of your personal items.
Start out by going through every room and collecting items you want to donate, throw out or sell. Do this before you start packing to save you both money and work.
Get rid of things in a meaningful way by donating them to a charity or nonprofit organization. Not only will you help someone, but you can often get a tax deduction. For items that cannot be donated, check with your garbage collection service to see what they will accept. If you have a lot of things to get rid of, you can rent a dumpster or hire a removal service.
Remove books and other knickknacks from bookcases, and clean everything off your kitchen counters. For items you need to hold onto and use, find a few decorative boxes that can be kept out of sight yet still easily accessible.
While you are packing away things you want to keep, take an inventory of all your belongings. Taking inventory while you’re moving not only helps you keep track of it all, it’ll serve double duty as an inventory to save for homeowners insurance purposes. And be sure to label everything. Unlabeled boxes stuck in the basement will cost you a lot of time later.
Consider renting a storage unit
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces that block or hamper paths and walkways, and put them in storage, along with distracting furniture, artwork, and knickknacks. Another idea is to ask a friend if you can borrow some space in his or her garage. Leave just enough furniture to showcase the room’s purpose with plenty of room for buyers and agents to move around.
2. Depersonalize
Goal: Make it easy for potential buyers to envision themselves living in your home.
Depersonalizing goes a step further than decluttering, by removing any signs of you and your family’s presence so that the buyer can envision themselves and their own belongings in the home. When you prepare your home for sale, depersonalizing is important. It removes distractions that could prevent buyers from focusing on the house itself.
Pack up your personal photographs, family heirlooms, and other objects that might distract potential buyers and hurt a possible sale, such as loud furniture. You want to present buyers with an impersonal, clean environment. This lets them imagine the home decorated with their own photographs, furniture, and art objects. Depersonalizing your home makes it easier for potential buyers to visualize how the home might look filled with their own things.
3. Clean and organize
Goal: Make it clear that your home has been well taken care of by presenting a clean and organized home with attention to all the details.
Deep clean
A deep clean makes your house feel well-maintained and helps it look its absolute best. This may mean hiring a professional cleaning crew.
Cleaning should include washing the windows inside and out, recaulking tubs, showers, and sinks, and polishing chrome faucets and mirrors. Make sure every speck of the dust is removed from under the furniture, in the cabinets and closets, and everywhere else it could be hiding.
Kitchens are a big selling point for many buyers, so make yours as spotless and uncluttered as possible. In the event that someone opens your refrigerator, make sure it appears clean and orderly.
Clean and air out any musty areas. Make sure your home smells as clean as it looks.
Remember, when you prepare your home for sale, those that are coming to see your house are not simply guests for the evening; they will be on the lookout for potential problems and signs that the home’s maintenance may have been overlooked. So don’t forget to unclog drains, sterilize and descale faucets and shower heads, and clean out the garbage disposal.
Try to maintain this cleanliness by vacuuming daily, waxing floors, dusting furniture, and keeping the bathrooms and kitchen spotless.
Organize closets and cabinets
Buyers will definitely be curious about available storage space, and will be opening doors and looking into your closets and cabinets. So be sure they are organized. It’s not a good thing if a potential buyer opens a closet door and things fall out! Cluttered storage spaces also look smaller.
When a buyer sees everything organized with attention to detail, it shows that you take care of your possessions and likely took good care of the house. In closets, shirts should be buttoned and hung together, and shoes should be lined up neatly. In kitchen cabinets, alphabetize spice jars, neatly stack dishes, and turn the coffee cup handles so they’re facing the same way.
Showing tips for later
When it comes to the point of actually showing your home to buyers, here are a few tips.
- Throw open the curtains and blinds, and turn on the lights. Houses show better when each room is clean and bright.
- Removing extra leaves from your dining room table will make the room appear larger.
- Hang up fresh guest towels, and keep the toilet lid closed.
Make sure your house smells fresh.
- The night before a showing, avoid cooking foods with strong odors like fish, garlic, or cabbage. Smells can linger.
- If you have pets, monitor litter boxes or any other areas affected by them.
Which months are the best to sell a home?
May is the month that brings the best premium for home sellers, followed by June, July, and April.
Secure a professional realtor
If you’re thinking of selling your home or of moving to Minneapolis, call Scott Haubrich at (612) 298-5400 or send an email to scott@buyrentsell.com for more information. Click here to go to the homepage.