Preparing your home for sale is a key component in order to earn top dollar for your home sale. However, this process can be totally overwhelming and you may not know where to start. Keep in mind, you may not have to do everything you think you should to prep your home. Follow my recommendations and focus on the improvements that are going to make you the MOST amount of money, when selling your home. Here are the Top Three basic steps to get your home in shape for the market:
TIP #1: PAINT YOUR HOME
Touching up the current paint or choosing a new color to brighten up the space really works wonders for your home when preparing to sell. New paint is a relatively inexpensive improvement and can be done by yourself- or go the extra step and hire a professional. The key when choosing the paint color and areas to paint is to keep it consistent. Buyer’s may not necessarily like the color of paint, but if it is consistent and clean, the buyer will be able to see themselves living in the home.
As shown in the video, the bright green cabinets and trim in the kitchen may not be for everyone; however, the seller chose to keep the paint color consistent and clean by touching any chipped or peeled areas vs. painting everything.
Tip #2: HOME SYSTEMS SHOULD BE WORKING
If having to prioritize work to be done to your house before the sale, start with the systems within your home; The plumbing, electrical, HVAC roof and foundation should all be in working order. There should be no underlying issues (unless you plan to sell “as-is”) before listing your home. Taking care of any major deficiencies before we list your home, will lessen your liability, increase the price we can sell for and create a smoother sale.
If your appliances are older, don’t worry! Although stainless steel or updated appliances are preferred, if your appliances are functioning and in good condition, it doesn’t always make sense to spend money on updating the appliances. We will look at this specifically and see if it would be worth your while to replace older appliances.
Tip #3: CURB APPEAL
Maintain the yard and exterior of your home. Think of selling your home as a long awaited interview for a promotion. You want to look and feel you’re best to not only land the job, but convince the panel that you are worth the pay raise you request. Proving to those who are interviewing you, that you are the best candidate for the position. Looking and feeling your best is required and in the grand scheme of things, you are more than happy to do it, if it means a pay raise and promotion.
So are you ready for your pay raise and promotion? Clean up your yard and garden and get the first impressions looking the absolute best. Making your home feel and appear as welcoming as possible is essential to selling your home for the most amount of money.
Bonus Tip: STAGE YOUR HOME
Staging is a critical step in making you the most amount of money when selling your home. Professional furniture highlights each space and in your home and helps the buyer envision living there someday. Using a professional staging company brings the photography to life. An empty home can appear cold and not as “livable” as homes that are professionally staged. Most buyers scroll through their phone to find the perfect home, so staging and photography go hand-in-hand to make a great first impression both on-line and in person.
