Getting Your Home Market-Ready
6 Must-dos to Prepare Your Home For Sale
Preparing your home for sale may be easier than you think! You can always hire professional services, but for the DIY-ers out there, follow these easy steps to get your home ready for launch.
Here’s a little secret: if you try to clean up your entire home at once, you can easily get overwhelmed; instead, focus on one room at a time, and make a checklist.
Focus on one room at a time, so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Here are the must-do steps:
1) Declutter. Clean out, throw out anything you don’t need, take them to Goodwill. Box all loose items up and take advantage of storage inside your garage. Make 3 piles with your stuff: trash, donate, keep. Regardless of what you do with the items, your goal is to clear all flat surfaces with any clutter.
2) Rent a storage unit or use a pod for extra furniture. Following up on the previous point, if you ran out of space in your garage and shed, consider renting a storage unit. Having fewer things laying around your house will make it look more spacious.
3) Make a list of repairs that are needed in the house. If you are doing it yourself, focus one room at a time; or call a professional.
4) Repaint the walls and baseboards. Go with warm, natural colors: white, light grey, beige; stay away from loud colors. Not only will this freshen up the house, it will also mask any potential smoke or pet odors. Remember: paint is $50 in a can, but $10,000 on the walls.
5) Deep clean your home. And I am going to suggest using professional service for this. I am not talking about regular cleaning where you tidy up right before your in-laws come visit, I mean you will need to clean the top of the fan, grouts between the tiles, we want the windows to be spotless, and the carpet to feel fresh stepping on them. If you are going to spend any money in house prep, spend it on deep cleaning.
6) Stock up on light bulbs. Light and bright sells. When showing your house to potential buyers, all your light bulbs will need to work.
7) Pro tip: depersonalize your home. You want to strike the perfect balance between depersonalization and creating a warm, welcoming home. This means putting away the majority of family photos, but you can leave natural welcoming artwork as staging pieces.
Sounds like a lot of work, but remember: focus on one room at a time, and go through this list. If you do just one room, you’re ahead of where you would’ve been if you didn’t do it.
About the Author
Danny Lau has set up several successful small businesses, he is a top real estate sales professional, and he shares real estate investment advice through his YouTube Channel.
Disclaimer
This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. You should consult a financial professional before making any major financial decisions.
