Knowing how to prepare your house for sale starts with understanding what buyers are looking for. If your home isn’t in pristine condition, potential buyers will pass you by. If you’re considering selling your home, we’ve rounded up a few tips on how to prepare your home sale – that will help get it sold quickly.
When you want to move, there’s nothing worse than sitting on the market for months with showing after showing. From selling quickly to an investor, to painting and landscaping, this guide has everything you need to know about how to sell your house.
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1. Skip the Local Real Estate Market
Listing your home on the traditional real estate market is a lot of work. You need to keep your home in perfect condition at all times. You also need to do a lot of work ahead of time to prep it for sale.
With iBuyer.com, you receive a personalized home evaluation and get matched with qualified iBuyer companies. Buyers range from national iBuyers to local iBuyers, investors, or consumers looking to buy directly and close quickly.
You can skip the hassle of holding open houses and showings. There’s no need to bring a bunch of people through your home. Sell your house without hundreds of people coming into it.
2. Purge, Donate or Sell
Showing your home on the traditional market means you need to get rid of a few things. Potential buyers like to see homes that are neutral and open. If you have too many furnishings, clothes, and toys obstructing buyers from viewing your home it’s time to do some purging.
Start by going through your house and thinking about what you’d like to donate, throw away, recycle, or sell. Divide everything into piles and go through your stuff. The more you can get rid of the less you’ll have to pack and move later.
Selling some of your big-ticket items will also give you a little extra money you can use for your move. Anything that’s in good condition can be donated to a charity.
3. How to Prepare a House to Sell by Decluttering
Clutter accumulates. If you have mail and homework on your dining room table, it’s time to clean things up. Homebuyers want to imagine themselves living in your home. If all they see is clutter, they will walk right out.
Go through your house and remove any trash or clutter you see on surfaces or the floor. This is one less thing you’ll have to do before you move. This is also a good time to remove any souvenirs and personal collections from your walls or shelves.
While a few decorative items are fine, too many are distracting. The cleaner your home looks the better it shows. People want to see windows and architectural details – buyers don’t want to see your clutter.
Decluttering helps to neutralize and freshen up your home. Your home will look more updated as well. A neutral and show-ready home gives buyers the feeling that your home is well cared for and maintained.
4. Give Each Room a Purpose
When you’re selling your home, it helps to show buyers how they can use each room. Give each room a purpose through staging. Even if you don’t pay for professional staging, you can stage your home using your own furniture.
Move things around and rearrange to help make each room shine. If your kitchen table is also your office, declutter and show it off as a kitchen table again. A guest room that doubles as a mudroom, storage facility, and wrapping station should be turned back into a guest room.
You want potential buyers to see the potential of each room. If they see you don’t know what to do with a space, they won’t know what to do with it either. This helps you get the highest price for your home.
If staging isn’t in the budget, you can buy inexpensive decorative items or furniture to help your home show better. Rugs, drapes, bedding, and towels are all inexpensive ways to stage a room with fresh updates.
5. How To Prepare Your Home for Sale With Curb Appeal
Your front door is the first chance you have to impress buyers. Make a good first impression with the right curb appeal. Re-facing your home might not be in your budget but a few small updates will have a big impact.
Start by cleaning up the landscaping in the front of your home. You can also paint shutters, replace your garage door, or paint your front door.
Weather permitting, plant some new flowers or put inexpensive potted plants near the door. Cozy logs and evergreen branches are great if you’re selling in the winter. A new welcome mat will help give your entryway a fresh look regardless of the weather.
Small changes in the front yard and entryway help to give buyers a good feeling as they walk in. Make buyers feel welcome instead of wanting to turn around.
6. Don’t Forget the Outdoors
When you’re selling a home, the outside is just as important as the inside. Don’t forget the backyard when you’re working on curb appeal. Pick up the landscaping and remove anything dead or unsightly.
Give mulch a fresh topcoat or replace some gravel if anything looks worn down. Wash your patio furniture and stage the outside as if you’re hosting a BBQ. Give buyers a sense of how they can use the outdoor space.
If you have a great deck or patio, you’ll want to show it off to buyers. Outdoor living adds tons of square footage to your home. Make your yard a selling feature by highlighting its beauty.
7. What To Do To Prepare House for Sale That Needs Small Updates?
Just because you aren’t renovating your entire home doesn’t mean you can’t do a few small updates. Making small changes will help give your home a more updated appearance. This is especially important in high-end real estate markets.
In the kitchen, consider painting or staining your cabinets. A new countertop will also help to update the room. New hardware and lighting fixtures modernize the space without breaking the bank.
In the bathrooms, you can replace mirrors, towels, rugs, and shower curtains to freshen up the room. New rugs in the main living areas or even new lamps help to update your décor.
New bedding and towels also help your home show better. Remember that anything you buy to update your home will come with you when you move. These small investments are also things you can use in your new home.
8. Re-Paint
One small update that is easy to do yourself is to re-paint. The paint will give each room a fresh, new feel. Paint is also fairly inexpensive when you compare it to a kitchen remodel. When you’re choosing paint colors, stick to neutrals.
Light and bright colors help to make your home feel larger. They will also help make your home feel clean and fresh. A new coat of paint helps to remove fingerprints, crayons, and dirt from walls.
In the bedrooms, neutrals or light cool colors help to set a relaxing tone. You can also paint a vanity cabinet in a bathroom or cabinets in the kitchen to freshen things up. Toning down loud colors or kid’s rooms will help neutralize the home, so it appeals to more buyers.
9. Deep Clean
When you’re selling your home, you’ll want to give it a good deep clean. Consider hiring professionals to clean carpets, windows, appliances, and floors. A deep clean also helps to make your home feel more updated.
If you go with the do-it-yourself route, give yourself a few days to get everything cleaned. While cleaning could take a weekend, purging and de-cluttering can start weeks or even months before you list your home.
Giving your house a nice deep clean will help it feel fresh and new. Clean windows also help to let more natural light in. This is one must-do item that will feel great coming off your to-do list.
How to Prepare Your House for Sale 101
Understanding how to prepare your house for sale could be the difference between it sitting on the market and it being sold. The simplest way to get your home ready to sell is to skip the hassle altogether. With iBuyer, you’re connected with companies and investors who are qualified and ready to buy your home as-is.
If you’re ready to kick-off the process, submit your address to get connected with iBuyer professionals. You’ll be one step closer to selling your home and moving on.
