It’s no secret that it’s a seller’s market all over the country right now, more in some places than others. If you’re thinking about moving and putting your house on the market, there are a few things you need to do to get your home in order. Before you start searching for best interstate moving companies, it’s a good idea to begin with a plan.
Consult a Real Estate Agent
You may think that you need to do some significant renovations to a bathroom or a kitchen to get an excellent price on your house. Don’t do it without talking with a real estate agent first. You need to know the value of your home and how much ROI you would get if you were to undertake one of those projects. You may be better off doing something smaller for a more significant impact to get the best return on your investment.
A real estate agent will also give you a realistic figure for what you could sell your house for in the current market. They will pull comps to see what the going prices are around you and suggest a price range that will ensure your home sells quickly.
Make Small Improvements
You don’t have to undergo significant renovation to put your home on the market. You can make lots of simple changes and updates that will increase your home’s appeal to potential buyers. Consider changing light fixtures for contemporary designs and finishes or adding new drawer pulls and knobs in your bathroom and kitchen.
If you’re feeling up to it, you could go outside and focus on your curb appeal. The area outside your home is the first thing people see when they drive up to your home, and you want to make a good impression on the potential buyer. If you have a properly landscaped yard, you’re already halfway to the sale. Consider hiring a professional landscaper or at least asking one for input to help you decide what you want to do with your yard.
Prep Your Home for Showing
The key to successful house showings is to clear the home of everything that is uniquely yours. Take down photos, personalized monograms, or anything that reflects you. The home needs to feel homey yet neutral so the buyer can visualize what they would do with the house. You also want your home to be as empty as possible. A real estate agent might even suggest staging your home with rented furniture, so have a place ready to put your things while your house is on the market.
If you have no place to put your things, then you need to focus on decluttering instead. Get rid of the things that take up space or stuff you don’t really need. Don’t forget to clean the windowsills and any other surface area that the buyer will see. You don’t want an overflow of things everywhere because then they might feel like the home won’t meet their needs.
Consider a New Paint Job
When you bought the home you’re currently living in, you may have selected a paint color that reflected who you were at that moment. The new buyer will want to do the same thing, so consider painting your walls a neutral color. Neutral colors encourage buyers to imagine the colors they want to see on the walls to make the home theirs.
If you don’t want to repaint the walls, you should touch up any scuff marks or holes in your wall. A common place for both scuffs and holes or dents is behind a door where the doorknob meets the wall. You may also want to put a plate there to protect the wall from further damage after you fix it before putting the home on the market.
Smell Around and Clean
Pet owners can become nose blind because you don’t smell your pets day in and day out. You get used to it and can’t detect how a home smells when you have dogs, cats, or any other pet. It will be a good idea to ask someone, like your real estate agent, if they detect any smells after you declutter and clean out your home. If you do, you’ll need to take the time to do a deep clean to get rid of the smell.
Keep cleaning everything. Places you might not ordinarily clean, like the area above the door frame or the baseboards behind the couch that no one ever sees, all need to be clean. Your home needs to look spotless to photograph well for listings and to impress potential buyers when they walk into your home during a showing.
Hide Your Valuables
As much as you may want to think everyone is trustworthy, if a buyer comes in with kids that have very little impulse control, you may find things missing. Don’t leave anything out that is easy to pick up and stick in a pocket or a purse, either. Keep everything valuable locked up and out of sight.
If you have a safe at the house, that’s a great place to keep precious jewelry. If you don’t, you might want to consider a safe deposit box to keep your grandmother’s heirloom necklace safe and sound while your house is being shown to buyers.
You’re Ready to Put Your House on the Market
Once you’ve got the necessary information from a real estate agent, you can start your plan of attack. You’ll have an idea of what your home will sell for and can use that to guide the updates you want to make. Prep your home for showing by making minor improvements, painting or making touch-ups, and doing a deep clean. Lastly, hide all your valuables so you won’t find any missing after other people have been through your home. If you’ve taken the proper steps and precautions to get your home ready, then it’s time to put it on the market.