Published December 12, 2019
Tips for Preparing Your House for Sale: Everything You Need to Know
Making the decision to sell your home can be a difficult
one, but it’s almost never arrived at lightly. If you’ve decided that now is
the right time to sell your home, congratulations! You’ve got an exciting
journey ahead of you—and you probably don’t want to waste any time.
Experts all agree, homes sell faster when they’ve been
properly prepared for sale. To a large extent, this means improving the home’s
exterior “curb appeal,” taking care of any pressing maintenance issues, and
staging the home’s interior.
It’s a lot to take on, but it will pay off. Not sure where
to begin? Take a look at these tips and start preparing your home for sale
today.
Tips for Your Home’s Exterior
Selling a home starts with maximizing curb appeal, and that means making your home’s exterior as attractive as possible. Consider these essential elements:
- Landscaping: Make sure that your grass is mowed, shrubs are trimmed, and any other landscaping is up to snuff.
- Siding: How does your home’s siding look? Even if it’s in good repair, take a look to see if a good power washing might be in order.
- Outbuildings: Do you have any garages, sheds, or other outbuildings? If so, make sure they’re in good repair. A poorly maintained shed can be a serious eyesore on an otherwise gorgeous property.
- Entry Doors and Railings: Make sure entry doors and railings are in good shape. Give them a new coat of paint if need be.
- Driveway: Is your driveway clean and smooth, or does it look like an import from a warzone? Repaving your driveway isn’t fun, but it could definitely help make the sale.
Staging Your Home’s Interior for Sale
What appears to be the world’s most immaculate house from the outside might get plenty of attention from potential buyers at first, but it isn’t likely to sell if the interior looks like a frat house on a Sunday morning. After you’ve taken care of your home’s exterior, consider these tips for managing the inside:
- De-Clutter: Homebuyers like to see open space potential when visiting a prospective new house. Get rid of any extraneous boxes, knickknacks, and furniture. Clean out closets and other storage spaces. If you can manage it, rent a temporary storage space or borrow a corner in a friend or relative’s basement until after your sale.
- De-Personalize: By the same token, you should remove any personal photos or other personal items. Stop thinking of the house as your home, and start thinking of it as a product. This will help would-be buyers imagine making it their own.
- Clean: It should go without saying, but clean your home from top to bottom! Carpets and rugs should be professionally steam cleaned, baseboards dusted, windows washed, kitchen scrubbed—the whole nine yards. Consider hiring a professional cleaning service if you have the means.
- Rearrange Furniture: Furniture should be rearranged to maximize open space and let buyers walk through and project their own decorating ideas into the space.
Beneath the Surface: Essential Repairs and Maintenance
Savvy buyers consider a lot more than what a house looks like when deciding on a new home. Essential maintenance and repairs like the following are likely to come up during negotiations;
- Plumbing: Take care of any leaking pipes, unreliable water heaters, or other plumbing issues.
- HVAC: When’s the last time your ducts were cleaned? Has your furnace been tuned up in the last year? If it’s been a while for either, taking care of basic HVAC maintenance is a must.
- Gutters: Make sure your gutters are in good repair. Gutter guards can be a major selling point as well.
Talk to a Real Estate Expert in Connecticut
If you’re selling
a home in Connecticut and interested in receiving expert, one-on-one
guidance from experienced real estate professionals, look no further than The Lauren Sells Team.
The Lauren Sells Team, a division of Keller Williams Realty, strives to offer top notch customer service, resulting in a lasting and trusting relationship.
