Home Maintenance
10 ways to prepare your house for putting it on the market
Posted by New Home Resource on May 17, 2013 in
If there’s one common mistake people make when putting their home on the market, it’s not preparing the house first. There are a number of small things you can do to not only prepare your house for the market but also ensure you get the best price possible.
We at New Home Resource thought we would give you the run down of what you can do to prepare your home for the real estate market.
1) Curb Appeal: First impressions mean everything in real estate. In fact many people won’t even step through the front door if they don’t like what they see from the outside. Spruce up the house with a fresh coat of paint, trim those hedges and jet wash the path.
2) Value vs Cost: Walk around the exterior and check for cracks, holes and crumbling. Repair and replace as necessary. The cost of repair will often be inexpensive in comparison to how much value will be added to your home with the repairs made.
3) The Colors Of The Rainbow: The last thing a buyer wants to see when they walk into a prospective home is a rainbow of colors throughout the house. Keep the house painted in neutral colors and use accessories and furniture to add color to each room.
4) Show Home: One thing we all want to do when buying a new home is put our own personal touch on it. While you might have the vision of an interior designer, most people cannot see beyond existing furniture and personal touches. So take down those family pictures and posters of your favorite sports team and replace them with neutral paintings and wall coverings.
5) Minimalistic Future: We are all guilty of having too much of something, but your prospective buyers don’t need to know what. So rent a storage unit and de-clutter your home. Remove all additional pieces of furniture and appliances leaving clear counter tops to create a cleaner, bigger and sleeker look in every room. Now would be the perfect time to hold a garage sale to get rid of some of your unwanted possessions.
6) What’s Mine Is Yours. If there are fixtures and appliances that you want to take with you, replace them now. When buying a house, people take into consideration all the fittings and fixtures. If they love that chandelier hanging in the living room that you’re not willing to part with, then you may find yourself losing out on a sale. So save yourself any issues by removing all fittings and fixtures that you will be taking with you and replacing them with neutral fixtures.
7) Fix It: The last thing you want to do is put off a buyer because of a leaky faucet that would have taken you minutes to fix. So get out the toolbox and fix all the minor problems throughout the house. Even oiling hinges to stop squeaking can make a difference.
8) As Clean As A Whistle: Invest in using a professional cleaning company to give your home the spring cleaning it needs. Shampooing carpets and washing windows can make such a difference to the overall appearance of the home. If it looks immaculate then the buyer will believe you have taken good care of the home.
9) Flower Power: Adding flower pots to the patio and front door can make such a difference in making a house look like a home. Educate yourself on the power of color psychology to ensure you are giving off the right moods and energy. For example, yellow has the power of evoking a buying emotion.
10) Love It: Finally, forget all of your personal issues with the house and view it from a new perspective. Learn to love the house and all of its features. When a buyer comes to view the house tell them why you LOVE the house and what you will miss. The power of positive word of mouth is priceless.
And we don’t know about you but nothing beats the smell of freshly baked cookies when you walk into a home.