A few years ago, you purchased your first home – and you were really excited. Now the time to sell that home is here – and now you need to figure out just where to start! Yes, the real estate market is really really good if you are a home seller! But, even with a good real estate market, you can’t just put your house on the market, put a sign in the yard and expect it to sell! You need to take the time to get it ready to sell!
So where do you start? First you have to decide when you are going to put your house on the market! If it is tomorrow, you may be doing a lot of readying tonight! But if you are looking at perhaps the springtime to put your home on the market, now is a great time to start! So here is a checklist to help you begin the process (in no particular order)!
- POST IT NOTES! Go through the house room by room – anywhere you see something that needs replacing/repairing, put a post it note on it!
- LIGHT BULBS! When going through the house, open all the windows & turn on all the lights – if bulbs are burned out, replace them! If the room still feels dark even with blinds open and all lights on, buy higher wattage bulbs!
- LAMP SHADES! Going along with the light bulbs, if the lamp shades are old or dated or in disrepair, replace them!
- DECLUTTER! You want buyers to focus on your house, not your knick-knacks or overstuffed closets! Empty closets so they are half filled; pack away the knick-knacks & figurines!
- HANDYMAN! If anything needs repairing and you are not able to do it, hire a handyman!
- PAINT! Touch up paint on the inside & outside if needed! And if any of the rooms have very personalized paint colors (example – purple or pink), now is the time to neutralize!
- STORAGE UNIT! People tend to collect things over the years – I know I did! Now is the time to rent a storage unit or PODS to help with the decluttering process!
- DONATE OR TRASH! And while you are decluttering, now is a great time to donate or trash any of those items that you don’t want to move!
- LIGHT & BRIGHT! Buyers want to walk into a house that is light & bright – so make sure you clean the windows, take down the drapes & buy higher wattage bulbs if needed!
- NO POLITICS OR RELIGION! There are a lot of people who may pass your house by based on things like political memorabilia or religious things! Why not pack them up now so you have them in your next home!
- NO ODORS! Cooking odors, pet odors & cigarette odors can be offensive to buyers – and some buyers will be allergic! If you smoke – smoke outside! If you have pets – make sure the litter box is cleaned & pets are walked outside (make sure the yard is free of dog droppings)!
- SPECIAL TOUCHES! You want buyers to feel at home, so some special touches can go a long way – fresh flowers, a new welcome mat, accent pillows (Pinterest has great ideas here)!
- CLEAN CARPETS! Now is the time to do a deep clean on the carpets! If they can’t be cleaned, consider replacing them!
- MAXIMIZE VISUAL FLOOR SPACE! Buyers want to imagine that their furniture can go into your home! So take a look at each room and play around with the furniture placement to see what will maximize the floor space in each room! Remove furniture you can live without!
- CLEAN WHITE TOWELS IN BATHS! Buyers will definitely look at the bathrooms – having clean white towels folded like they do in luxury hotels is a grand touch!
- KIDS TOYS! Find ways to make sure the kids toys and play areas are as neat and clean and organized as possible!
- DESIGNATED PLACES! When your house is being shown, the kitchen counters need to be as spacious as possible – meaning very little should be kept on them! But you use the coffee pot and toaster every day!So find a designated spot to put these when the house is being shown!
- CABINETS NEAT & TIDY! Buyers will open up the cabinets and look inside, so make sure you have them neat & tidy! If you need to pack away some dishes or linens, do so now!
- MAXIMIZE WALL SPACE! Pack away family photos & reduce wall art to one or two per room! Rooms need to be de-personalized!
- CURB APPEAL! You want to make sure your buyers want to come into the house when they are parking their cars! So look at the landscaping, paint, front door, etc to make sure it is as inviting to future buyers as possible! Check out other homes for sale in the area to see what they did!
I know it seems like a lot, but if you start now, go through each room one by one, get the family involved – it will definitely make the process a lot easier! And once it is done, you don’t have to do it again! Your goal is to get your home on the market so that you can get the most money from the sale of your home, in the least amount of time, with a minimal amount of effort! You have only one chance to make a great first impression – taking the time now, before the house hits the market – goes a long way to making sure that first impression is a GREAT first impression!
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The above information was provided byBarbara Reagan. I can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at 804-869-1191. I have helped people with their real estate needs throughout the Richmond area for over 25 years! I am a full time Realtor who covers the entire Richmond, Virginia area including the city of Richmond, Chesterfield County (including Midlothian, Bon Air, North Chesterfield and Moseley) as well as Henrico County (including Short Pump).
