The US real estate industry is a thriving market with a net worth of approximately $156.2 billion as of 2021. This bustling market is brimming with home buyers and sellers strewn all over the country. With residential house prices on the rise, there’s no better time to put your home on the real estate market.
Selling your home is a lot harder than most people think. It’s not as easy as listing your home online and landing a prospective buyer. No, there’s an entire process to buying and selling your home, and whether you sell your home largely depends on this process.
If you’re looking to sell your home, you better do it the right way. To help you out, today, we’ll be highlighting a few things you must do before putting your home up on the housing market.
Get Rid of the Clutter
The first thing to do before putting your home up for sale is to get rid of all the clutter. If you’re like most people, you probably have a lot of stuff lying around the house. You don’t need half the stuff, so why not get rid of the things you don’t need?
Decluttering will make sprucing up the house for walkthroughs and house viewing a lot easier. Go through everything you have and determine what to keep and get rid of. You can use the four-box method to help make decluttering a breeze.
As a rule of thumb, donate everything you haven’t used for more than a year. Alternatively, you can consider holding a garage sale to earn extra cash. Don’t throw away any familiar memorabilia or keepsakes; these are worth keeping.
Clean the Doors and Windows
Your doors and windows might have taken a huge beating, especially if you have an old home. Getting new doors and windows makes no financial sense. A much better alternative is to give your doors and windows a thorough cleaning.
Cleaning the doors and windows can do a lot to freshen up your home. A little cleaning makes your windows look lovely, and they also allow enough light in to make the house look lively. Focus on high traffic areas, like the backdoor and living room, for the greatest effect.
While cleaning your doors and windows, don’t overlook the window sills. Dust and debris may accumulate in these areas, which is never a good look for potential house buyers. Get down and dirty and ensure all doors and windows are sparkling clean.
Don’t Overlook Curb Appeal
It’s easy for homebuyers to focus on the home’s interior and completely overlook curb appeal. Remember, the home’s exterior is what sets the tone for whatever’s inside. To make the right impression, you need to work on the home’s curb appeal.
There are tons of things you can do to improve curb appeal. Some of them include:-
- Trimming the shrubs in your yard
- Repainting your front door
- Planting colorful flowers on the front door
- Redoing your walkway
- Pressure washing your front porch.
These are some of the things you can do to give your porch a little more pizzazz. You can find amazing tips on boosting your curb appeal online. The best part is you don’t even have to spend a lot of money to do so.
Make Necessary Repairs
A few repairs here and there will go a long way in making your home a viable option for buyers. By repairs, we’re talking about stuff like repainting your ceiling, replacing missing tiles, and fixing loose railings.
Most home buyers are pretty picky about the kind of homes they want to buy. Even minor signs of neglect can be a huge turn-off for home buyers. Create a list of things that need repairs and check them off one by one.
Make Your Home Less Personal
Selling your home means relinquishing homeownership completely. It’s important to get rid of any personal items so homebuyers can picture themselves living in the home. Some personal items you should remove include family photos, artwork, and unique furniture.
You can rent a storage unit to keep these and other personal items before you find a new home. That’s one way to keep all your items safe after depersonalizing your home.
Give Your Walls a Neutral Paint Coat
If you have one or two colorful walls, it’s time to give them a fresh paint coat. Not everyone has the same color taste as you. What looks good to you might be downright hideous to some homebuyers.
Painting your walls in neutral tones is playing it safe. It sidesteps the risk of buyers being turned off by unpleasant colors. It also gives buyers a clean slate, so they can paint a fresh paint coat that works for them.
Make Your Home Smell Good
Don’t think you can get away with a funky-smelling house. Homebuyers have keen noses and will quickly pick out any unpleasant smells in the house. This can be a deal-breaker and throw the rest of your home-prepping efforts out the window.
There are lots of ways to make your home smell nice and inviting. You can try air fresheners or even scented candles to give your home an inviting smell. Smart homeowners even bake a few cookies before the showing and make the house smell scrumptious.
Consider Cash Offers
If you’re on a tight budget and don’t have much to spruce up our home, consider selling the house for cash. This will save you the trouble of looking for a worthy cash buyer for your home. You also won’t have to spend any cash to revamp your home.
Selling your house for cash is a good idea for these reasons and many more. If you’re struggling to sell your home, it’s the best course of action.
Your To-Do List for Selling Your Home
Make sure you do all the above before selling your home to land the best buyers. Remember, it might take some time to find the right buyer, but all your patience will pay off eventually.
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