Preparing for a move? There’s a lot to think about—so much that it can be overwhelming. Are we really ready to sell? When is the best time to put the house on the market? What’s a good listing price? If I finished that bathroom renovation first, would we be able to recoup the cost and more in the sale? What’s the best way to stage our home to attract a buyer fast?
Here are my top 5 tips for making sure your home is ready…
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Invest in Your Landscaping
Surprisingly enough, this is often overlooked by many sellers. Keep in mind, buyers are purchasing the entire property and not just the building on it. Not every buyer will have the imagination to look past overgrown grass, untrimmed bushes, or weed-filled garden beds. Having a well-landscaped and maintained yard improves the curb appeal of your home which is a major consideration for many buyers.
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Neutralize and Depersonalize
Even if it seems unnatural, depersonalizing and taking down all family photos in your home while it’s on the market is important. Also, if your walls are covered in vibrant colors, it can be beneficial to put up a new coat of neutral paint (Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams is a favorite). Taking these steps to neutralize and depersonalize helps to create an environment where potential buyers aren’t seeing your family or personal preferences in the home, but instead can envision their own personalization without having to overlook yours.
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Keep It Clean and Tidy
Who here has been caught up in the recent Marie Kondo craze? Keeping a clean and well-organized home, especially while your home is on the market, is a simple yet highly beneficial way to help attract buyers. It allows them to see the potential in your home’s storage space as well as creates the impression of a clean slate, free of clutter and the anxieties that can be associated with it.
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Make Repairs
To be competitive with other sellers, your home should be in the best condition possible. Making repairs and addressing problems before going to market can help to eliminate any defects that may discourage buyers.
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Create a Welcoming Entrance
First impressions matter. The visual and emotional experience a potential buyer gets as they walk up to and into your home will leave a lasting impact—good or bad. Give your front door a fresh coat of paint. A new welcome mat won’t hurt, either!
These are general tips for consideration. Every home and every homeowner is unique—your selling journey will almost always be different than your neighbors’.
Part of what I do for my clients is a complimentary pre-listing consultation. There’s no obligation to list your home with the Mike McCurry Group just for completing this consultation. This is simply something I provide to members of the communities I serve in an effort to help people make meaningful moves.
This pre-listing consultation gives me an opportunity to meet you, see and evaluate your property, and (perhaps most importantly) discuss your needs and desires.
The result of this consultative conversation? My team and I are then able to create a customized listing plan for what (if any) action items we recommend you accomplish around the house prior to listing, strategic listing price, and recommendation for when to list the home.