Ready to sell? Wipe off the dust, sweep the carpets, and stick the “FOR SALE” sign in the front yard and go? Whoa. Slow down just a bit.
Hopefully, your home will sell quickly and result in the profit you seek. However, as with any important life endeavor, this is a job which requires some effort, and there are several things which need to be done first.
- Part of that is choosing the right Realtor for you; a good Realtor should always be happy to walk through your home and offer some suggestions about the home’s value and ways to maximize its curb appeal. The Yosha Snyder Group would love to help you with this. You should expect to be educated on the current real estate market–what has sold recently in the past, how long it was on the market, what is currently available in your area. All of this will create comparisons that will help determine your home value.
- Most likely, one of the first things any homeowner will need to address is your stuff. You love your home, and you love your things. But your belongings are not someone else’s belongings. So work to reduce and eliminate. This might end up being the most time consuming part of getting your home ready to sell. Been meaning to clean out the basement or closet or drawer? Go to it. Purge, purge, purge. Box. Crate. Organize. Recycle and rehome. Maybe it’s as simple as filling the car with things to donate to Goodwill. Or maybe you need a service to come in a cart off that 1989 treadmill in the basement. There are companies that are happy to move your stuff. Or you could take items to a furniture bank like Mustard Seed that provides furniture to families and individuals who have experienced significant loss. Your purge may be the catalyst to success for someone else. Be aware that buyers will often open closets and cabinets and drawers. They are trying to envision how they will live in your home. If they are overwhelmed with your stuff, it’s often hard to see through the coats stuffed in the closet. Leave room for their dreams.
- A hot topic these days is energy efficiency. How efficient is your home? The power company often sends you results comparing your home’s usage to your neighbors. How do you compare? Maybe the solution is as simple as installing a smart thermostat to regulate the furnace and air conditioner. Or maybe it’s a bigger issue. Leaky windows? Tired roof? Faulty furnace? Try to determine the age of these items and decide if anything can be updated. The cost will often be worth it because many buyers are happy to know these things are addressed on a regular basis. When the current homeowner is consistent about replacing and updating the essentials, it usually confirms for the buyer that the home has been well-maintained.
- Everyone has a style. Even no style sends a message. When a potential buyer comes through your home, you don’t want them spending their time thinking about who lives in it now. Instead, you want them to be able to see their things in your space. Neutral, neutral, neutral: this is the key. If you can, consider some simple painting of key rooms. Choose a soft white (there are hundreds of shades of white paint! Ask a paint professional for advice. You want a warm white, not a cool white). Remove or reduce family photographs. Take the artwork of the fridge. Store knicknacks. Reduce excess throw pillows and blankets. Eliminate piles of papers and magazines. Clean floorboards and destroy dust bunnies. And if you think something is tired and old, so will a home buyer. Less is more–always.
- Does your home have curb appeal? Have you looked at it for so many years that you don’t even know? Take an afternoon and drive around to different neighborhoods. What houses speak to you? What do you like about their presence? Maybe it is as simple as replacing the mailbox with a color that complements the color scheme of the house. Maybe the front door needs a fresh coat of paint. Maybe the color pots are tired and could use replacing. Maybe you could replace the front door lights with something larger or more contemporary. Your job is to make potential buyers pull up to your curb and say, “Wow, this is home.”
While these are five important aspects to prepping a home for sale, nothing is more important than securing a Realtor who is invested in you. The Yosha Snyder Group will come to your home and, with a fresh set of eyes, give you concrete goals to accomplish to help sell your home to realize the best profit possible. The possibilities are endless!