Proper prior planning will make you close your house sale deal faster than most home sellers. In this time and age, adopting a clear plan on ‘how to prepare your house for a quick sale on a budget’ will save you time and resources. For quite some years, house sellers have realized there is more than telling potential clients, “I have a house on sale.” For a realtor, it’s always advisable to have a checklist of what you want done from start to end.
Tips for Putting Your House on the Market
Before putting your house on sale, developing a checklist is necessary. That ensures you save money and time and remember everything you deem necessary. So, you must take your time and know what you must do before making a house sale. While you can customize your checklist, some items must be on it.
- Look for a Realtor
While it could be tempting to sell the house on your own, resist the urge. Engaging a professional is an excellent place to start. For a start, most people seeking to make a sale don’t know how long it takes to prepare a house for sale. That’s because they can’t tell what needs to change to improve the property’s value. For a realtor, this is easy because they know the prevailing market prices and what house buyers are looking for.
- Improve Curb Appeal
For whatever reason, buyers will judge the book by its cover. So, when selling a house, making an impression is a must. Posting pictures or taking potential buyers around a property with broken glasses, uncared ground, and other unappealing appearances only lowers its value. To curb appeal, you must have a plan on how to prepare your house for a quick sale on a budget. Some things to consider at this point include:
- Repainting the porch and the front door,
- Install outdoor lighting,
- Do a makeover for the mailbox,
- Renew your planter beds,
- Small fence installation around the yard,
- Install attractive and charming gate,
- Trim the flowers and trees around the house,
- Replace broken gutters and downpours,
- Add fence panels,
- Install outdoor art,
- Repair and upgrade railings,
- Repaint all paintable exteriors of the house,
- Tile the doorway, etc.
- De-clutter Living Areas
When doing a house prep to sell, one of the things to do is a clean sweep of tables, chairs, cupboards, closets, drawers, and other visible areas. Curious home buyers will always check these areas to consider the house livable. Dirt will lower the quality of the house in their eyes, and they could pay less, noting they will undergo extra expenses to make it habitable. Again, remember to decongest the house; overflowing stuff only makes the house look smaller and unattractive to potential buyers.
Some decongestion tips as you prepare to sell a house.
- Categorize the stuff you don’t need into those in good and bad condition.
- Throw away the items you feel are unwanted and unrepairable,
- Donate items in good condition and which you don’t want to sell.
- Sell off items in good condition but can’t be left in the house.
- Depersonalize the House
It’s important to remove any personal items that could distract potential buyers. That’s an important step when preparing your house to sell because it allows potential buyer to visualize themselves and their family in it. Remember, when showing the buyers around, you want them to feel at home and make the house as new as possible.
Some of the personalized things you will have to remove include:
- Family photos,
- Toothbrushes,
- Medications,
- Shampoos,
- Glasses and sunglasses,
- Dirty laundry baskets,
- Toys and personalized sculptures, and
- Personalized wall hangings.
For universally acceptable wall hangings, you can leave them on the walls to enhance the outlook of the house interiors.
- Keep Your Valuables Safe
Remember, most people you’re bringing into your home as you prepare to sell a house are strangers. You must keep your valuable items and personal document safe.
- Fix the Broken Areas
One of the most common mistakes homeowners make when making house prep for selling is having unrepaired breakages. There are several areas you will need to pay close attention to. They are:
- Door locks: Nothing would be as embarrassing as opening a stuck door in front of your client.
- Window panes: Take your visitor around the home when you know all the window panes are fixed and cleaned. Broken or dirty panes could lower the value as the house may seem old.
- Sinks, drain holes, and toilets: Before bringing any potential client into the house, ensure there are no clogged toilets, drain holes, and sinks. Also, make sure they are thoroughly cleaned.
- Taps & showers: Imagine taking someone around, and when you are about to show them the water system works, you realize the taps and showers are not working properly. That would be unpleasant.
- Repaint the Interiors
After doing all the repairs, it could be time to repaint the house. That gives the house a new look and makes it attractive to potential buyers. Besides, the house gets a facelift, making it look fresh and unique, which increases its value.
- General Cleaning and Smell Test
In the final stages of preparing to sell your house, clean it, and when you are done, clean again. Here there is an emphasis on cleanliness because dirt and awful smell put off a potential customer. Naturally, when buyers are seeking for a house to make a home, they want something decent and clean, as they have seen in pictures.
So, when you see them visit, that’s what they expect, and the least you can do is offer it. While at it, ensures you have opened the windows for proper aeration. Making the mistake of welcoming buyers into the house while it has a bad smell or feels stuffy could cost you a lot. You could get a lower value from the home, or they may decide not to make a purchase altogether.
Also, strategically place some flowers, and consider adding a natural and refreshing scent. Ensure the refreshing fragrance you’ve added is commonly acceptable to most people. The refreshing feeling could work magic in convincing a potential buyer to purchase the house.
- Take Pictures
Find a professional photographer and let them take pictures of the house guided by the realtor. Professional home sellers or real estate agents have a glimpse of what home buyers want to see. Their advice is thus essential when taking pictures. Some key areas to consider for photographs are:
- The whole exterior of the house,
- The front door and porch,
- Kitchen,
- Bedrooms,
- Toilets & Bathrooms,
- House gardens,
- Lighting systems,
- Fireplace, and
- Sitting & Dining rooms.
Take several pictures at different angles for each and ensure the house layout is notable. Also, make sure the photos are taken when it is brightest.
- Post the Pictures on Social Media
You can have the pictures on your social media account or use a realtor account to market the property. Ensure you also describe the house’s design, location, and other benefits. Also, have some pictures in an album or tablet to show to visiting buyers on the ground.
How to Prepare for a Move After House Sale
Immediately you place your home on the market, it’s time to start thinking about moving out. You don’t want to delay the incoming owner. So, your selling plan must also include a plan to evacuate. Here are a few tips you could use in preparation, and just like it was in preparing to sell, it’s a checklist.
- Moving Expenses
The first step is to start budgeting for moving-out expenses. Track the moving costs, including where you could enjoy tax deductions.
- Look for a New Place
Your current house could be on sale at any time. It is only advisable you begin hunting for a new place to stay.
- Dispose Of Items You No Longer Need
Throw away anything in bad condition that is irreparable. While at it, sell or donate the other items you don’t intend to move with.
Get moving boxes and start packing items you intend to carry, but you will only use them once you have settled in your new place.
- Engage a Moving Company
Contact a moving company and keep them on standby. You can allow them to move bulky items if you have found a new place.
