Getting your home ready for sale is a long process that will require some patience and hard work on your part. However, if you’re successful, you’ll be able to market your home to the best buyers and get top offers, making the whole thing worth it.
There are potentially an endless number of things you can do to prepare your home before listing it for sale. So, in this post, I’m going to talk about some of the most important steps you should make before selling your home to get the best results from your listing.
1. Make simple fixes
Before you start thinking about making bigger renovations, take a moment to make any small fixes around the home that you’ve been putting off. That door that gets stuck in the winter time, the blinds that creak when you open them… the little things add up and can give buyers a negative impression of your home.
2. Get a professional home inspection
Serious buyers will get the home inspected before making a purchase. However, if there are any issues with your home, you’ll want to know for yourself long before selling time. Take the time to get a home inspection by a licensed professional so that you’re aware of any big renovations you’ll have to make in the near future.
3. Depersonalize (pack away those family photos)
Potential buyers want to be able to imagine themselves in your home. Having all of your personal belongings laying around can make that difficult. Neutralize your home by removing things that are unique to you and your family.
While this step can be tedious, you can also look at it as a good way to reduce the amount you’ll need to pack when it comes time to move.
4. Rearrange and declutter to open up the rooms
As homeowners, we accumulate a lot of stuff over the years. All of that stuff can easily make a home feel cluttered. Before you put your home on the market, it’s a good idea think about some ways to make your home ready for photos and visitors
5. Taking the best possible photos
How well-received your real estate listing will be will rely heavily on your photos. To get the best results, choose your photos wisely.
First, start by making sure your house is impeccably clean. Then, if you plan on doing any painting, get that done first.
Next, plan your photos for a nice day and take photos of the inside and outside of your home at different times of day. Since the Sun will cast shadows on different parts of your home throughout the day, it’s best to experiment with various lighting.
Finally, don’t be afraid to take a lot of photos. The more photos you have, the better the chances are of having a few really great ones that will portray your home in the most positive light.
