So, you’ve finally decided to put your house up for sale, found the perfect real estate agent for your needs, and decided on your asking price and preferred terms for selling. Now, it’s time to get to work and get your home ready for your potential buyers, and it is especially important that you don’t wait too long before starting to make repairs. One of the most crucial things to keep in mind as you go through the process of selling your house, in fact, is that the longer your house stays on the market, the harder it will be to sell at all! Whether you only need to apply a fresh coat of paint to your walls or need to make extensive (and expensive) repairs, getting your property ready for inspection is going to be a time-consuming journey.
So, knowing all that you need to do well beforehand will help you sell quickly and ensure that you can stick to your preferred timeline and walk out of the deal with bigger profits. What are the key steps for preparing a home for a quick sale? Here’s all you need to know on how to prepare to sell your house in 2022!
Why go the extra mile?
Let’s get one key question out of the way first: After completing all the necessary repairs, like major roof and plumbing fixes, do you actually need to go the extra mile to make your property more appealing to buyers? We’re in a seller’s market, after all, so homeowners might think that doing up their house might not be worth the hassle and extra time. But just because you might be able to sell your home quickly by just carrying out the most necessary repairs, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to attract the top dollar it deserves — and by extension, the trustworthy and reliable buyers you need.
Spending more time and resources on minor repairs, remodeling, decluttering, and staging will not only demand a higher price but also ensure that your home will be off the market in no time, attracting the most creditworthy buyers for complete peace of mind! On top of that, selling your house as-is might not be a realistic choice at all. Many homeowners cannot look at their beloved property with an objective eye, so they might underestimate the work it would need to compete in the local market.
When you live in a home for a long time and have invested much of your time and money on it, it’s easy to overlook the little things that could make or break a good offer. At its very core, the selling process is all about learning how to take an objective look at your property and empathize with the point of view of the buyer.
Clear your mind of all the time spent in the house and all the memories you’ve made in it, and try to look at your surroundings like it’s the very first time: Does it look spacious or too crowded? How clean is it and how could your new buyers imagine themselves living in it, without all the furniture and the personality you’ve put into the decor? Answering these questions by yourself can be challenging, so that’s exactly why having the right real estate agents by your side can make the job that much easier! With that said, before we move on to how to prepare to sell your house, let’s take a closer look at the three main benefits of putting in that extra work before listing.
Curb appeal makes a difference
Keeping your landscape pristine and adding creative touches to your yard, such as colorful garden annuals, will create an immediate impact on not only potential buyers but also passersby, widening your pool of buyers even more. Curb appeal might sound like an old-fashion way of attracting potential buyers, but it definitely works as a relatively inexpensive and accessible way of promoting your listing to local neighbors.
Your home’s exterior is the first impression passersby and buyers will get of your house, so why not make it as impactful as possible? As an added bonus, you can easily work on making your front yard more appealing all by yourself, so no need to spend money on a gardener!
Depersonalization sells
Another reason why you should consider putting more effort into decluttering and remodeling your house comes down to the power of depersonalization. Whether you’re selling your first home or an investment home you and your family have spent some time in, the property’s interior is likely to have plenty of your personality and taste hidden in every corner.
Using the advice from home remodeling companies in your location would not only make your house more appealing to potential buyers but also would increase your house’s value.
Even after a good session of deep cleaning, you might find that potential buyers might still have trouble picturing themselves living in the home if it’s filled with the owner’s memories and personality. So before you move onto staging and refurbishing, start by getting rid of all of your personal photos, souvenirs, or any personal items that will make most buyers feel like they’re viewing your home, rather than their own dream home!
Space is profitable
Decluttering, repainting, and reorganizing your living space will also make the house look and feel a lot more spacious, even if the square mileage leaves something to be desired! You might not be able to demand a higher price for a more spacious-looking home, but you will definitely see the difference when it comes to getting callbacks and first inquiries. Your listing pictures are only going to be as good as your real-life setting, after all!
Hot to get your house ready for the sale
Going the extra mile and doing more than simply making the necessary fixes can help you sell your house quicker and to the right person, boosting your chances of accepting an offer on a house within your timeline. But what exactly do you need to do to get your property ready to accommodate prospective buyers? And how much is this all going to cost?
While you should’ve already budgeted for all repairs, staging, and remodeling, there are ways you can cut down costs on preparing the property for the sale and still impress buyers! Let us walk you through the few steps needed to get your home off the market in a flash!
Property repairs
Needless to say, you should start preparing your house for listing and viewings by tackling the most challenging part of selling first: Major repairs. Whether it’s a new roof, picture holes on the wall, new plumbing, leaky faucets, or new doors and windows, you’ll want to deal with these fixes as soon as possible, as they might delay your schedule quite considerably. If you’re not a master handyman, our experienced real estate professionals can help you find a solution that fits your budget!
Deep clean and declutter
You’ll also want to keep your property uncluttered, sweet-smelling, and well-lit from top to bottom. Plan a whole weekend for an extensive deep cleaning and decluttering session, ensuring you get rid of all personal knick-knacks, family photos, and unnecessary furniture. Don’t forget to reorganize your basement and attic alongside your main living spaces, as you’ll want to make these storage rooms look as spacious as possible!
When it comes to the cleaning part of the job, you’ll want to pay special attention to the bathroom and kitchen, cleaning all the little nooks you usually wouldn’t notice, like the space behind your fridge and all wall baseboards. If you’re not confident you’ll be able to deal with everything on your own, especially when it comes to kitchen and bathroom grime, try shopping around for a professional cleaner to come and take care of the work for you!
Re-painting and touch-ups
Simple upgrades such as minor DIY window repairs, polishing the doorknobs, and a fresh coat of paint in the most frequently used rooms will instantly brighten up the property, without having to spend as much money as you would on a full-on overhaul! Walk around the house with a fresh set of eyes to spot opportunities for improvements, even if it’s just something as simple as replacing light bulbs and light fixtures in every room.
In addition to repainting white walls, baseboards, and ceilings, you might also want to consider changing the color of some rooms if they feature bold, colorful paint. Depersonalization is key for selling a house quickly, so your bright blue bedroom might not have the positive effect you’re looking for!
Staging
Paying attention to the details makes all the difference. Put away the kitty litter, place a vase of fresh flowers near the entryway, pop a batch of cinnamon rolls in the oven, have your carpets professionally cleaned and your front porch fully refurbished. Something as small as a new welcome mat can also help make a better impression even before your potential buyers set foot inside the house. That said, you’ll definitely have to develop a keen eye for detail to spot these types of opportunities. Your agent will scan the property before it is listed for sale to see how you can improve the staging of your home for a better first impression, and if you really want to impress and have the means to invest in top-class help, hire a professional stager!
Professional photos
Next, you’ll want to take plenty of pictures (and possibly even videos) of your property’s interior and exterior, so you can go ahead and start listing online and offline. You can hire a professional photographer to ensure your home is presented in the best light possible, or better yet, ask your real estate agent and their contacts to figure out what features to showcase the most. Unless you know your way around a camera, taking pictures yourself is generally not recommended, as you need a good understanding of beneficial angles and lighting tricks — the camera not only adds a few pounds but can also warp spaces and make them look a lot smaller!
Disclosures and inspections
After all the physical work on the property is done, you’ll still have to spend some time filling out important paperwork, with disclosure documents being one of the most crucial for a drama-free buyer/seller relationship. A disclosure document is supposed to provide all the key details about your property’s current condition, and failure to disclose all issues with the home can end up in an expensive lawsuit you really don’t want to deal with.
This includes any health hazards, deaths that have taken place in the home, missing items, and even neighborhood nuisances. If you don’t really know how to proceed, we’ll take care of the hard work for you: We are very familiar with the legal procedures involved in disclosures and are ready to help you develop a thorough disclosure statement beneficial to both you and the buyer. We will also suggest other types of home improvement measures before placing your property on the market, such as termite and pest inspections!
It’s showtime!
Now that you know how to prepare to sell your house, it’s time to get all the paperwork sorted and open your doors for viewings! Keep in mind that if you want to save time and save yourself the extra hassle, you don’t have to be in the property at all and instead leave all the presentation work to the experts. We know you’re busy, and that’s why presenting your property to potential buyers is a job that we will take care of for you.
As an added bonus, many buyers also tend to feel more comfortable discussing the property with the agent rather than the seller, and a real estate professional will always know what information will be most useful for best representing your interests. Get in touch today for a first consultation with our agents!
