How to Get Your House Ready To Sell
Are you thinking about selling your house and feeling overwhelmed about the idea of moving? These eight tips for how to get your house ready to sell will put you in the right frame of mind to fearlessly conquer worries about selling your home.
If you’re like most homeowners, your home has become a place for storing items that you’ve accumulated over the past 10, 20, 30, or more years. If you are helping an aging parent get their home ready for sale, mom or dad may be hesitant to give up cherished items. Or maybe you are ready to give up a large home and down-size.
These tips for how to get your house ready to sell will help in preparing your home to be market-ready and make moving to your next home a breeze:
1 – Choose a date that you would like to put your home on the market and work backward to see if your date is realistic after considering all of the below items. If you don’t have a realtor, hire an experienced real estate agent who can give you advice about necessary home repairs and other suggestions to make your home more marketable and put more money in your pocket.
2 – Go through your home and make a list for each room of minor fix-ups and major repairs. Minor fix-ups are things you can do yourself, like painting in neutral colors, fixing a leaky faucet, replacing furnace filters, or deep cleaning.
Major repairs are projects like replacing flooring, installing a new furnace or air conditioner, roof repairs, house painting, caulking, sidewalk repairs, and other items identified during a pre-listing home inspection. When in doubt about your ability to complete any major repairs, hire a professional to do the job.
Do your best to estimate a budget for the minor fix-ups and contact vendors for the major repairs so that you can set aside funds. Create a calendar and schedule the work. If necessary, revise the date that you want to put your home up for sale.
3 – Depending on the time of the year, take a look at your yard and the outside of your home. If your yard needs sprucing up, start with aerating the lawn, weed control, fertilizer, planting grass seed, regularly watering the lawn, and planting bushes or flowers. Curb appeal makes a great first impression.
4 – Take a critical look at your front porch or front door and how you can make the home more welcoming. Do you need a new screen door? Are the stair railings in good condition? What about better lighting or installing new outdoor light fixtures? Is the number of your house clearly visible by your front door and on the curb in front of your home? Making your home welcoming and easy to find is another step for how to get your house ready to sell.
5 – As you work through your calendar for the minor fix-ups, look at each room of the house for items that you can give to family or friends (see 7 below), things to donate to charity, and items too old or worn that need to be thrown out. If the quantity of throw-out items is substantial, order a roll-off and schedule a weekend to toss things that are no longer used and in poor condition.
6 – Fix up projects for how to get your house ready to sell can be great diversions from stress. Make the project fun by involving family and then schedule a reward, like going to a movie, after completion. Take before and after photographs so that you can document the improvements you have made. As you fix up each room, think about ways to make it appealing to home buyers.
7 – Be realistic about clothing and other memories that you want to take to a new home. If you have heirlooms, consider passing them down to children and grandchildren rather than packing and moving them to your new home.
Do you really need 50 pairs of earrings or 40 ties? Look at items you use versus items that take up space with a critical eye. If after cleaning out your home clutter still exists, consider the use of a storage unit to make sure your home shows well.
8 – As you approach the final two to three months and complete the remainder of projects if you haven’t started seriously looking for your next neighborhood or living situation, add this to your schedule.
Contact your realtor and start investigating neighborhoods. Ask to see other homes listed in your neighborhood so that you know your competition. Get ready for staging your home and make sure that you fully understand the selling process to avoid any surprises.
By completing this list of items for how to get your house ready to sell you will be in a great position to entertain potential buyers, sell your home, and move ahead to your next adventure. Whether the market temperature is hot and favoring sellers or prices are cooling and placing buyers in a more favorable position, The Sam Wilson Home Selling Team helps you with the right pricing and marketing strategies.
If You Are Thinking of Buying or Selling Now or in the Future Contact Us
Are you thinking about buying or selling a home in Lakewood, CO, or the Denver metro area? Get expert real estate advice when house hunting for homes for sale in Lakewood, CO, Jefferson County, and the Denver metro area.
Work with a buyer’s agent on the Sam Wilson Home Selling Team. If you are thinking of buying or selling a home, we make you a priority and share our expertise to make the home buying or selling process as stress-free as possible.
The Sam Wilson Home Selling Team specializes in homes in Lakewood CO, and Jefferson County Colorado, including Arvada, Aspen Park, Conifer, Edgewater, Evergreen, Genesee, Golden, Idledale, Indian Hills, Ken Caryl, Kittredge, Lakeside, Lakewood, Littleton, Morrison, Mountain View, West Pleasant View, and Wheat Ridge.
Contact Sam Wilson today.
© 2021 Sam Wilson All Rights Reserved. Articles by Pamela D Wilson
