The decision to put your home on the market can come with a lot of headaches and stress. Getting it over with quickly is the ideal situation, but it doesn’t always happen as quickly as you would like. There are many factors included in how fast or slow a house may sell including the time of year, whether the markets are high or low, what your location is and how well what you have to offer is trending with buyers.
For home buyers, one of the things they most often say is that they want to feel an immediate connection with a home when they first look at it. The importance of being able to picture themselves actually living in the home is an important factor.
Like with anything else that you are promoting, you want to be able to put your best foot forward, and it is no different when selling a home. Take a look at our list of some of the simple but important things that you can do around your house to get it in it’s best shape for viewings.
The first impression that a buyer has as they pull up to a house can have a great effect on the way they view the rest of the place. Power washing the exterior of your home and driveway is a good start. Make sure that your house numbers are well maintained and easy to see. Perform any repairs and repaint the front porch to give it a fresh look.
This may seem obvious, but a clean home can really make all the difference to buyers. Wash the floors, walls, tiles and have your carpets cleaned in the high traffic areas. Wipe down all your appliances in the kitchen and give the bathroom a good cleaning. Wash all of your windows, especially those that are facing the front of the house.
If you are getting ready to move, this is a good time to get rid of a lot of the usual clutter in your home and get a head start on packing. Clear off bookshelves at the minimum, pack up all but your favorite knick-knacks. Minimize the amount of family and personal photographs that are displayed and tidy up any files or paperwork that may be lying around. If you have a lot of stuff, investing in a temporary storage locker may be a good idea.
Prospective buyers will want to see all aspects of your home and that includes storage space. They want to see the size of closet space in each room and this means getting organized. Try to purge out non-seasonal clothes and organize the space so that it doesn’t look like a disaster. There are plenty of closet organizers available at low cost that can help you keep things in order.
Even if new buyers have children of their own, they don’t want to walk into a home that looks like a toy tornado has hit it. Make sure that children’s rooms have been tidied and toys have been put away. Using a toy bin or storage buckets is a great way to keep the mess secure and out from under your feet.
Don’t forget about the outside and backyard of your home. There is no need to do extensive grounds work, but cleaning up your garden beds and organizing your back patio area is a good idea. Keep your lawn neatly trimmed and clear away any scrub or garbage around the property.