You’ve made the decision to sell your home, and you have to worry about how to do it. Without hiring a staging company to come in and make your home look brand new, how do you set up your home for sale? These tips will help you learn everything you need to know and transform your home from lived-in to sellable.
- Find an Estate Agent
This first step in the selling process is a crucial one. You need a good agent – one that can successfully market and sell your home. Your agent should know how to get your house in front of the right people so that you can make a successful sale. Go to the Home Owners Alliance website for tips on picking the best agent.
- De-Clutter
A cluttered home is a huge turn off to potential buyers, because the clutter makes it hard for people to understand what the house would really look like if they bought it. You’ll need to pack up all the non-essentials and send them to storage. Antiques, extra pillows and any decorative items that take up too much space should all be stored away while you’re staging your home.
- Depersonalise
People want to be able to imagine a home as their own. Family photos and notes on the refrigerator can make that difficult. Take all the personal items out of the house for the time being. You should even consider packing up some of the clothes in your closet, if possible. That way, when potential buyers look around, they see a house and not YOUR house.
- Spruce the House Up
Are there a ton of little fixes you’ve been putting off for months? Like a small crack in the wall, or a stain on the paint? You should go out of your way to fix these types of problems now. People coming in and inspecting every nook and cranny will notice these little issues. You wouldn’t want something so simple to fix to stand between you and the sale.
- Simplify the Space
Sometimes, a practical piece of furniture can ruin the flow of the room. Get rid of unnecessary or bulky items to help open the home up. You should consider packing up those extra chairs and tables in the hallways or corners of a room, especially if your home is on the smaller side. You want to give the impression that your home is larger than it is, which is why you need to keep it simple.
- Repurpose a Room
Do you have a place in your house that is just holding junk? This is a great time to re-organise the space for a functional reason. An entry way can be repurposed as a mud room. A home office could become a second bedroom. It all depends on how you look at it.
- Light It Up
When you are holding an open house or having a potential buyer see the home, make sure you let in as much light as possible. Open the curtains, replace all the bulbs in your house, and show off the home a little. It’s hard to fall in love with a room if you can’t see it.
- Remember the Exterior
The first impression that your home has on a potential buyer is the front yard. Uncut grass and dead flowers don’t send a very good message. The walls might also need a fresh coat of paint, in which case, you may want to get to it before you start showing your home.
- Get a Fresh Perspective
When you think you have finished cleaning your home, ask a friend to inspect it. You might be so used to the look of your home that you overlook something jarring. Alternatively, you could be so attached to your items that you can’t see that they are inappropriate for an open house. Your friend will be able to point out anything to you that might hurt a sale.
