Selling your home is a big project, and a lot of thought must be put into it to avoid mistakes. There are obvious things to consider, such as the closing costs, realtor costs, economic indicators, etc. There are also other important considerations that may easily slip your mind, such as making sure your home is in the best possible state to bring you the best possible property value.
According to the team of realtors on The Friendly Home Buyer, “Home buyers in Florida have strong opinions about the type of home they need.” This quote also applies to most home buyers worldwide.
Before you sell your home, these are the most important things to do:
1. Find the Best Realtor
Sometimes, it’s tempting to sell your house yourself so you do not have to pay a real estate agent. However, depending on the condition of the housing market, this might lead to disastrous results. Once you decide to sell your home, one of the first things to do is find a great real estate agent who knows your housing market very well. Feel free to interview several agents until you see the right fit. The selected agent should be someone you feel comfortable sharing every essential detail of the sale and someone you trust to have your best interest at heart when selling your home.
2. Fix the Outside
Improving curb appeal is one secret to selling your house without dropping the price. Your real estate agent will provide valuable insight on improving your curb appeal. Most people will judge the curb at your home before seeing the inside, so make sure the outside looks good. Spend time planting flowers, fixing your garage door, or even putting a fresh coat of paint outside. Some home sellers even go as far as building a new porch. These little new additions will appeal to buyers.
3. Deep Clean the Inside
Deep cleaning involves decluttering your home and making it sparkle. Donate everything you no longer need so that you create space and brighten up your home. You can also move some items you do not often use into storage. Clean the windows and glass doors until they sparkle and look brand new. It will also help to give the entire house a professional clean. Clean out drawers and cabinets and arrange whatever is left to show off the available drawer and cabinet space. The potential buyers who come to inspect the home often imagine themselves living in it, so make the house look like a place they’d love to live.
4. Hide Personal Items
Hide personal belongings such as prescription medication, underwear, etc. Ensure the kitchen sink is always clean and empty before potential buyers visit. Keep away children’s toys, toy pets, or even real-life pets. You may also want to remove personal photos, family photos, and other items that may hinder the potential buyer from visualizing themselves as the homeowner. The potential buyer should be able to view the home as a blank canvas that they can decorate.
5. Hide Valuable Items
Potential buyers want to see every room and enter every nook and cranny of the home. If you have a home safe, you may want to lock away all valuables just because there will be many strangers passing through your home. You never know who will show up to your open house.
6. Repaint the Indoors
Repaint the indoors using neutral colours. A simple, no-frills painting job is enough. Colours such as grey or white will do. If your house was already freshly painted with neutral colors, you may skip this step and just touch up on stained areas. A fresh coat of paint gives your home a new lease on life. Don’t forget to paint the trim and moulding and follow other indoor painting tactics.
7. Get Rid of Smells and Odours
Many natural ways exist to eliminate odours lingering in your home before your open house. For instance, a bowl of white vinegar works fine to neutralize odours in the home. Just pour vinegar into open shallow bowls and leave overnight. Likewise, baking soda sprinkled on couches and rugs and left overnight can neutralize odours on those surfaces.
8. Update your Lighting
Update the lighting fixtures in your home using more contemporary versions. You can also install energy-saving light bulbs. Other ways to be creative with the lighting include using accent lights to direct focus to certain parts of the room and focus potential buyers’ attention on the points you need to show off.
