So, you’re getting ready to sell your home (or you’re in the unfortunate position of listing your home weeks ago with little action) and you want to be proactive in the process of selling your home (or you want to sell fast for a good price). Before listing your home, there are some easy ways to prepare your home to sell for the best possible price, in the shortest amount of time. Home buyers are scrutinizing, to say the least. By following the tips below and paying attention to detail, you can set your home apart from the competition.

What’s that old saying about first impressions? Yes, we all know it, and it’s true in real estate – first impressions matter! Upon arriving at your property, a potential buyer wants to see a well-maintained home that looks warm and inviting. Make sure your house really looks this way. We prepare for job interviews, so why not prepare your lawn for an open house? Mow lawns, trim hedges, weed your flower beds, and spruce up the front of your house by painting trim or adding window shutters. You can rent a pressure washer from most hardware stores to clean dirty brick or siding. The most important thing is to make repairs to the sidewalks and driveways and the exterior of your home, including the windows and the front door. If a potential buyer sees only one area of ​​damage that requires repair, they will look further in the rest of your home and are more likely to believe there are hidden problems with your home. Pay special attention to the condition of your roof and gutters because they can seriously affect the selling price of your home.

The interior of your home should make the buyer feel at home. This means that you must depersonalize and tidy up the clutter. A potential buyer wants to imagine themselves living in your home, so personal items such as photographs, collections, bold paint colors or wallpaper, and anything else that leaves their own mark will detract from the buyer. Cleaning and removing clutter is another extremely important step in preparing your home for sale. Dirt, carpet stains, and pet odors are a major hindrance for shoppers. Oversized furniture and cluttered personal items can make a room feel cluttered and cluttered, and you want to promote all the space you have. Neutral paint, bright lighting, and a neat and organized room will invite potential buyers to imagine settling in right away.

Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses. On a tight budget, a good scrubbing goes a long way in improving the look of a bathroom or kitchen. Other little details like changing cabinet hardware, waxing the floor, removing appliances from countertops, and organizing personal items are easy ways to renovate your kitchen. Replacing an outdated light fixture and adding a new shower curtain can spice up an ordinary bathroom. A buyer will most likely not want to move into a home that needs repairs or that looks worn and tired, so repair holes in the walls, fix leaky faucets or faulty drains, replace cracked tiles, and go back to caulk around bathtubs and sinks. Add a splash of color with a bowl of fruit in the kitchen and a bouquet of fresh flowers in the bathroom. If you have the funds, upgrade your appliances and go for granite countertops. At the very least, clean out your refrigerator and get rid of lingering odors by lighting a scented candle or baking something sweet.

Bedrooms should follow the same guidelines as the rest of your home and feel neat, organized, bright, and neutral (i.e. paint, bedding, and curtains). One of the biggest missteps a salesperson can make is filling their closet with quirky things. The closet and storage space are very important to many buyers, so if your closet is stuffed to the gills and bursting at the seams, the buyer may feel like your home is lacking in these areas. (And don’t make the mistake of thinking shoppers won’t find your junk drawer or closet.) Over time, you will need to pack, so take this opportunity to straighten up and pre-pack the items you don’t need every day.

Additional rooms or additional rooms can be precarious. We often use those rooms for a multitude of purposes, such as home offices, guest rooms, media rooms, or all three at once. Buyers can be confused if a room lacks definition or purpose, and they may think that if you have to use one room for several different things, the house may not be big enough for all of your needs. Temporarily move your home office out of the dining room for displays and make sure rooms are clearly defined. On the other hand, empty rooms can be just as confusing, in some cases. You may find it beneficial to rent a few key pieces of furniture, such as a dining table or sofa, to demonstrate how a space can be used.

Many real estate agents agree that there are some major hurdles for home buyers that should be avoided at all costs (if possible). Here’s an abbreviated list from the Homebuyers.com guide to “things that will make buyers hate your home”:

Smells – This really shouldn’t need an explanation, although people often become desensitized to smells in their own homes, so you may need an unbiased judge to determine how offensive your home is.

· Wallpaper: no longer in fashion. Also, buyers will have different tastes than yours, so when they see the wallpaper, they see more work for them by removing it.

· Insects – Remove insect carcasses and hire an exterminator, if necessary.

· Dogs: Yes, I know, how can dogs be a bad thing? Not everyone is as excited as you are about an 80 pound dog running up to them ready to give them slobbery “kisses.” Therefore, remove your dog for exhibitions.

· Dirty bathrooms, that’s enough.

You don’t have to do much to prepare your home for sale. Just follow these simple tips to maximize your home’s curb appeal and get the best selling price in the shortest time possible. Those old sayings like; pay attention to details, and first impressions are very helpful; really apply when selling a home.

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