What Do I Need to Do Before Listing My Home?
What do you need to do to list your home?
Even if you think your home is in pristine condition, ask a real estate agent to walk through it before you put your house on the market. Real estate agents have seen hundreds, if not thousands of homes. They may have suggestions for repairs or small improvements that could help your house sell faster. Selling a home, after all, entails a whole lot more than just planting a “For Sale” sign on your front lawn or uploading a few random photos of your place—especially if you’re angling for the most cash.
So before you put your house on the market, peruse this checklist of what to do before selling your house. Some of these tips are surprisingly easy, while others might require a bit more elbow grease. But they’re bound to pay off once buyers start oohing and ahhing over your place—and hopefully ponying up a great offer.
Maintain your lawn, garden, and shrubs. Keep the lawn watered and plant some flowers. If you have a beautiful garden of spring bulbs, or colorful fall shrubbery, shoot a video or take pictures for a photo album for prospective buyers. Out of season, people may have a hard time visualizing what the yard and garden can look like at their best.
Touch up the exterior paint if it's starting to flake or peel. Touch up the interior paint if it's dinged or scraped. If a room really needs it, give it a new coat of paint in a neutral color.
Have the chimney for both the furnace and the fireplace checked and cleaned.
Evaluate what your house looks like as you step through the door. Does it look crowded or cluttered? Get rid of clutter and excess furniture. Put things in a storage locker if you have a lot of stuff. You'll make the rooms look bigger and brighter.
Clean every room in the house thoroughly. Have the carpets and draperies professionally cleaned. Clean switch plate covers. Wash the windows inside and out.
Take time now to do all those small fixes you haven't gotten to before. Fix drippy faucets. Update the knobs and handles on the kitchen cabinets. Have broken window screens replaced and cracked windows repaired.
Clean the mildew out of your shower and touch up the grout.
Declutter living areas-Less is definitely more when it comes to getting your house ready to show.
Do a clean sweep of counters, windowsills, tables, and all other visible areas, and then tackle behind closed doors: closets, drawers, and cupboards—since virtually nothing is off-limits for curious buyers.
If the house is overflowing with stuff, buyers might worry that the house won’t have ample space for their own belongings. They won’t sign up to pay a mortgage if they think they’ll also have to rent a storage space.
Take your excess stuff and donate it, or pack it up to be stored off-site. Not only will clearing clutter help your house look more appealing to buyers, it will also help you once you’ve accepted an offer and it’s time to move into a new home. Moving out will be easier if some of your stuff is already be packed.
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