One of the most stressful – if not THE most stressful things about selling your home is getting it ready for the parade of people that will be marching through. Will they be judging your home – or judging you? Our top 10 tips for preparing your home for sale will help you simplify the process so that you can get your home on the market and sit back and wait for those offers. One thing to know right now – you will not please every buyer no matter how ready you get your house, so do not try. There is no one better prepared to help you determine the steps you need to take to get your house sale-ready than a professional realtor. You may look around your home and think that all your knickknacks and personal items make the home look lived-in. However, to a prospective buyer, it may look cluttered. The realtor will see your home the way that buyers will. She or he can tell you where to place your efforts when preparing to sell your house. Here are our top 10 tips for preparing your home for sale: Clean the outside of your home Spruce up the landscape Declutter Store your belongings Organize and neaten closets Clear off countertops and tables Clean the inside of your home Repaint where necessary Eliminate offensive odors Make necessary repairs Getting Your House Ready to Sell – Begin Outdoors The first 2 of our 10 tips for preparing your home for sale will have you focusing on curb appeal. The very first thing prospective buyers will see when they pull up to your house is the outside. Is the paint old, faded, and peeling? Does the roof need to be pressure-cleaned? Is the grass overgrown with weeds and dead plants? These are the things you need to take a look at when getting your house ready to sell. The first step in how to get your house ready to sell is to clean the outside of your home. That means pressure-cleaning the roof, cleaning out the gutters, and performing any necessary maintenance. Make sure the outside of the home looks attractive. Buy a new welcome mat if the old one is worn. The next item on our list of tips for selling your home is sprucing up the landscape. Get rid of weeds and dead plants, mow the lawn, and plant new flowers. The first impression of your home is the most important one, so get it right at the curb. Getting the Inside of Your House Ready to Sell Staging a house for sale begins with decluttering. Everyone accumulates stuff. That does not mean you should leave it all out for show when selling your house. Home staging professionals typically tell people to clear out 50% of their homes. Whether you choose to store your items away, donate them to a charitable cause, or put them up for sale, get them out of your house. Too much personalization interferes with a buyer visualizing him or herself in your home. Our next two tips for preparing your home for sale have to do with organizing. Prospective buyers will be looking in your drawers and your closets. For that reason, you will want to neaten your closets and organize your drawers. Then, clean off countertops and tables. Again, too much clutter makes it difficult for a buyer to envision their belongings in the space. The next home staging tips take preparations a bit further. Clean your home from top to bottom. This includes carpets, tile, ceilings, fans, tubs, inside the refrigerator, and the oven. In other words, leaving nothing dirty. Also, look at your walls and repaint where necessary. Most people become desensitized to the smells in their own homes. Ask a friend or family member, or better yet, your realtor, to smell your home. You want to eliminate any offensive odors before prospective buyers come through. Put away the litter box (and change the litter). Do not cook with garlic – better yet, bake some cookies or a cake. Use a neutral smelling air freshener – nothing strong. Our final tip for preparing your home for sale is to make any necessary repairs. Fix the hole in the wall, tighten any loose knobs, and replace burned-out light bulbs. If a door squeaks, fix it. Is a faucet dripping or a toilet not flushing properly? All of these issues can reduce your chance of selling your home, not to mention cost you if on the list of demands of a buyer. There you have it, our top 10 tips for preparing your home for sale. Are you ready to take it a step further? If so, contact us at CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty 352-686-0000. We are here to help you sell your existing me or buy a new home! When you are ready to buy or sell your next home, please call us at 352-686-0000. |
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Tips on How to Prepare Your Home For Sale
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