When it comes to selling your home, there are several things you must do to get it ready.
Some people find it easy to make a few adjustments to their home before listing it on the market.
Other homeowners may have a serious amount of work cut out for them.
There are roughly six different things a homeowner must do before listing their home on the market. Here are some of the things you need to consider before you list your home.
Visual Presence
For people to become interested in purchasing a home, it needs to look appealing. You need to create a home that stands out on the block.
Caring for the yard is an essential component of creating a nice-looking home. Take the time to trim the trees, bushes and shrubs. Mow and edge the lawn at least once a week. Clean out the flower beds and bring in a fresh layer of mulch. Keeping the weeds out of the flowers will make them look nicer.
If you don’t already have one, now is the time to hire a regular lawn maintenance company to help ensure that, regardless of how busy you get, your lawn is in tip-top shape to impress buyers.
Once you’ve taken care of the all-important lawn and garden, view the rest of your home from the street.
Do you notice the roof has some curling shingles? What about the siding or paint? How does the front door look? Replace the front door, or give it a nice paint job if it looks old and worn out.
Power-wash the home, especially the exterior windows to really freshen up the whole place. You should also focus sweeping up the sidewalk and driveway to make it look nicer.
Curb appeal is essential to attracting people to your home when you are trying to sell it.
Interior Walls
When people walk into your home, they need to be blown away – right away. You want to make a good first impression.
Adding a new coat of paint to the walls, including things like decorative borders, will make it appear new and nice.
If you choose to paint, use softer colors that are easy on the eyes and have mass-appeal.
You should rent a carpet cleaner and shampoo all the carpets so they smell and look fresh.
Interior Presence
Walk around your home and notice if the carpet is worn out or dingy, even after a good shampooing.
You should consider adding new carpet in the home if it is starting to look bad. This is a great selling point for many people.
Remove all the clutter from your home, and keep it clean and organized. Consider renting a storage unit to move out some of the clutter. People like walking though homes that are clean and have a lot of space. Getting rid of the clutter is a great way to clean up the home and impress people as they walk through it.
Light
A wonderful way to improve the visual appeal of your home is to let in the sunlight. Open the windows to allow sunlight to stream inside. Bring in an additional lamp to lighten up the dark corners of the house. Replace the light bulbs to make sure they are all working properly when the Realtor is showing the home.
Clean Kitchen
Areas in the home that perhaps the most potential homebuyers are attracted to are the bathroom(s) and kitchen.
Clean up these areas so they look nice. Consider replacing the sink, toilet and countertops. Add a new layer of paint to the kitchen, and do not forget to add window treatments and table linens to make it look nice and welcoming.
Deodorize
If you have pets, make sure you are using air fresheners or leave them at a friend’s home while you are selling your home. People want to walk into a home that smells clean and fresh.
Use a dehumidifier to keep the air smelling clean. Certain animals, like cats, may leave a strong odor behind and irritate many people’s allergies. You need to make sure you are cleaning out the litter box and removing all evidence of cats before people are doing walkthroughs.
Now that your house looks and smells great, you’ve got a few more steps to take before listing it and closing any deals! But at least you’re well on your way to attracting buyers and making a great impression.
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