These are five tips to help you prepare your house for sale.
Here are the top five things you can do to prepare your home for sale:
1. Think about how your home looks from the outside. We only get one chance to make a wonderful first impression, so put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and consider how your home looks to someone driving up to it for the first time. Make sure your bark/mulch is refreshed, the lawn is mowed and edged, bushes are trimmed, and there are fresh flowers to give a pop of color; these small things make a huge difference.
2. Make your front door inviting. Your front door needs to stand out, and we’ve had success with many different colors. Having your front door painted an un-neutral color is very trendy, so we want to ensure we’re painting it an appropriate color for your neighborhood and house style.
3. Depersonalize as much as your can. You don’t want large photographs or art that are of your family; they should be neutral. We want potential buyers to focus on the home, not your family or things. When we moved last year, we brought in a stager because they’re the experts, and they helped us depersonalize our home. Think about model homes and how they look, feel, and smell—that’s what you want to emulate. We took down our family photos and 49ers memorabilia in case someone isn’t a fan, helping our home feel more open to more buyers.
4. Declutter. You’re going to move anyway, so buy plenty of boxes and start packing things up.
5. Take care of any deferred maintenance. Even small things such as a nick, a dirty filter, or burned-out or mismatched lightbulbs can make a massive difference. Buyers may notice and be put off, even by the little things. If you need a great handyman, reach out to us, and we can get you into contact with one.
Bonus tip: If you’re thinking about selling, give us a call. At the end of your listing appointment, we’ll go through and make a list of all the things you need to do to get your home ready for sale so that there’s no confusion about what needs to be done to make your house look its best for photos. We’ll also include resources you might need to help you get your list done.
Give us a call or send an email if you have further questions about preparing your house for sale or any other real estate matter. We’re always excited to help and provide you with resources.
