Before putting your home on the market, there are many things to do in order to make your home stand out from the competition. If you want your home to sell in a short period of time, its important to make it look good to the potential buyers. If your home is messy or cluttered or has some sort of damage it will detract from the overall appearance. Here are the most important things to do:
Landscaping
Its important to maintain the appearance of your home from the outside perspective, such as the lawn needs to be cut, leaves raked up, overgrown bushes trimmed and grass growing from the driveway needs to be taken away. It can also help to do some gardening and add flowers or bushes in certain parts on the property. The outside of the home is the first thing a buyer sees, if it looks unkept and overgrown this will detract from the appeal of the home. These are inexpensive things to do, as you can even do it yourself without hiring a landscaper.
Cleaning
Even before the professional photographer comes to take pictures of your home, it’s extremely important to clean your home. Your floors and carpets need to be cleaned, windows in the home, corners with cobwebs need to be cleaned, kitchen stove, fridge and sinks need to be cleaned, any dirty paint and walls should be cleaned. When a buyer walks into your home it should give an appearance that the house has been maintained. If things are dirty or smell bad, chances are that buyers would prefer to buy the house that is cleaner. Its important to de-clutter your home, moving things out of the way that don’t have to be there would be idea. Your large shoe collection can go in a closed out of view, personal and family photos should also be removed as this will make the photos of your home look more professional. As a rule the less clutter there is the better your home will show. Cleaning your home is very inexpensive and you can do it yourself.
Pets
Let’s face it, your pets make a mess of the home and stink it up. Before anyone comes to view your home its important to clean up the animal hair, kitty litter, dog/bird cages. Many people are allergic to animals so its very important to try and make sure as much as possible is cleaned up. If you have a basement it would be ideal to keep the animal’s things down there and not in the main parts of the house. Last thing you would want is someone having an allergic reaction while inside your home.
Lighting
When a potential buyer walks into your home, lighting is a very important factor. If you have any burnt-out light bulbs or broken light fixtures, it’s important to get them changed or replaced. Most people don’t want to buy a house that is dark and gloomy inside or if they see any light fixtures broken, they will automatically think there is something wrong with the house. This could put up a red flag in the buyers mind which you don’t want to happen. New LED lights are ideal as they last almost a lifetime and are very efficient which can bring down your hyrdro bill every month, its also a great selling feature.
Repairs And Renovations
When there are major issues with your home it would be ideal to fix those things before selling your home. The basic things as your appliances, furnace, air-conditioning unit should all be in working order. Majority of buyers want a turn-key home to move into without having to fix or renovate anything. If you have a leak in the roof you should fix it before mold or other problems arise. A fresh coat of paint goes a long way in the appearance of your home aswell. If a buyer walks into your home that has obvious damage it might make them think that there are other serious problems with the home aswell. Again, you don’t want this to happen when selling your home.
As a general rule you want your home to show at its best, a spotless home will appeal to everyone and can give you the competitive edge over the other homes for sale in your neighbourhood. If you need additional guidance contact me here
Kris Vindbergs
Realtor with Century 21 Heritage Group
647-382-8732