One of the hardest parts of selling your home is preparing the property for viewing. In the real estate industry, preparing your home for sale is called ‘staging, and it is a practice that every serious seller follows because it makes the property as appealing as possible, so that buyers will imagine themselves living in it. If you stage your home well, it often decreases the time in takes to sell and increases your selling price.
Easy Improvements to Make Your Home More Appealing
Some people like to invest money in their home in order to make it more appealing. There are some home improvements that do make financial sense, but for the most part, you are better off sticking to small, simple and inexpensive improvements.
Start by decluttering the house. Put as much stuff as possible in storage. If you have any large, imposing antiques, religious paraphernalia or clearly sentimental keepsakes that mean a lot to you but would be meaningless to others, put them away. Transform your house into a blank slate rather than a home that you clearly live in.
If you have pets, ask if a friend or family member will look after them for a while. Vacuum daily to remove lingering odors or stray pet hairs, and always have your pets out of the house for showing. These things might just put off someone who has allergies or is not a pet owner themselves and could cost you a potential buyer.
Redecorating
Whether or not you need to redecorate as a part of preparing your home for sale depends on what your property looks like at the moment. If you have any unusual decor-themed wallpaper or very bright colored paint for example, then you might want to get rid of it and paint the walls a more neutral color instead.
Other quick and easy fixes that make your home more appealing to prospective buyers include resurfacing the bathtub/shower and sink and kitchen countertops, as well as replacing handles and taps with more modern looking ones. The bathroom and kitchen are two of the most important rooms in the house, and these are small improvements that do not cost a lot, are quick to do and have a significant impact on the appeal of your home
Don’t forget about increasing your curb appeal. The outside of your property is the first thing a prospective buyer sees, and they are likely to make a snap decision before even stepping inside. If they decide they don’t like the look of your home because the garden is overgrown, this will affect how they think when they view the rest of the property, and they may make excuses about whether or not they actually want to buy it.
Trim your hedges and mow your lawn. Fix your fences, and repaint your doors. Make sure all windows are clean and that the front of the house looks perfect and is well lit with working bulbs. Clear your gutters and make sure they are securely attached to the walls. These are all simple changes that will make a difference.
Spend a few weekends getting your house in perfect viewing shape before you list it, and make sure that it is ready to view at a moment’s notice. It may be frustrating trying to live in a house without really ‘living there’ and hiding personal items to make your home look like a show home, but it really is worth it. Taking these steps will make the sales process go much more quickly and ensure that you get the best offers too.
