- Sep. 16
- Richard Parker
Do These Four Things for a Quick and Easy House Sale
Are you wanting to sell your home? If so, there are things you should prioritize before you even consider putting your home on the market. Potential buyers often don’t want to move into a fixer-upper home so to get buyers to fall in love with the home you have to make it look amazing, both inside and out.
This is fairly easy and can be done in four simple steps.
Clear Out
Decluttering should be first and foremost on your to-do list. When you invite buyers to come and look around, they don’t want to see your belongings scattered everywhere filling up every available space. They want to envision their own stuff in the house, it is also important to maximize space so the home looks bigger than it is. This won’t happen if you have items lying around everywhere.
The top tip for decluttering is to go to each room and sort your stuff into three piles. These consist of the keep pile, the throw-away pile, and the for sale pile. You could be amazed at how much stuff you have that you don’t need or use. You could hold a yard or garage sale with the items you have gathered to sell from each room.
It might be worthwhile putting the items you don’t need until you move into boxes, this is a great way to start packing and leaves you with less to put away when the time comes to pack everything. When you are packing your stuff up make sure you label each box with either the room it came from or what it contains. Many times people have packed up then needed something and not known which box to look in.
Clean
Once you have decluttered it’s important to do a thorough deep clean of your property. This is so you can get rid of any old dust and debris along with eradicating smells from the house. If you have pets or have had pets in the past then a deep clean is a good way of getting rid of any remaining pet hair that has a habit of gathering in places that are tricky to clean.
You should focus extra attention on the areas that are commonly missed during the weekly clean such as extractor fans and oven hoods, these are notorious for gathering dust. Areas to focus on include the kitchen and bathroom, ensuring that you remove any black mold that has appeared. Wipe around all the surfaces as well to get rid of any dust or pet hair that has settled.
If you have hard flooring in your house then you should sweep this and then steam clean it to make sure it is clean and free of dirt and germs. If you have carpets, you should hoover and shampoo them to bring them back to life. You will be surprised at how much dirt and grime comes out of carpets after years of use.
If you don’t feel you can do a good enough job or you simply don’t have the time then you can look into hiring a professional cleaner. They are used to taking on big jobs such as deep cleans, your house will look brand new when they have finished.
Repairs
One last thing to do before you put your home on the market is to make sure that all repairs have been completed on the house. If you have been putting them off as nothing urgent then now is the time to get them done. You might have a leaky roof or a crack in a wall, you must fix these before you sell your home. The problem with leaving repairs for longer than necessary is they can develop into more serious problems and lead to more expensive repair jobs. For example, if you leave a leaky roof for a long time your flooring can become rotten leading to a damaged floor, it can also lead to mold developing on the walls.
Potential buyers can send around a surveyor to check your home for any damage before they buy it. If the survey comes back with damage that the buyers don’t want to fix themselves then you could lose the sale.
If you need a professional to help you with the repairs it is better to call one in as soon as you notice the damage. They will be able to sort it before any more serious damage occurs.
Exterior
You need to be sure the exterior matches the interior when it comes to selling your home. The outside of your property is the first thing potential buyers will see when they turn up to look at your house. Get rid of any weeds and make sure the grass is mowed and looking tidy. Another thing to note is that buyers will focus on the front door and garage door if you have one, if they are looking tired and dull then it may put them off looking around the rest of the house as they already have a negative impression. A simple paint job can bring your front door and garage a new lease of life making it look appealing and welcoming.
If you aren’t sure how to manage your curb appeal then think about using a gardener or landscaper to help you with this. It needs to be perfect to appeal to all the buyers out there that will want to look around your home.
Once all this is done you can add your home to the market and open your house up to viewings. Once you have a sale you might want to look into getting an attorney to help close the sale, assist you with contracts, and anything else related to the house. If you are struggling to find one, you could research a real estate attorney near me online to find a suitable one. Be sure to check reviews or use word of mouth to find one who is good at what they do.
We hope this helps you on your journey to selling your home quickly and for a great price.