In 2020, 5.64 million homes were sold. The number isn’t likely to be much lower in 2021 or the years to come!
That means when you put your house up for sale, there’s plenty of competition. There are many houses on the market and not only do you want yours to sell, you want to get a good price for it.
So what should you do before selling your home to make sure it looks the best it possibly can?
1. Declutter the House
The first thing you should do when preparing a house for sale is decluttering. Decluttering has adverse effects on your own mental health, so it’s sure to put buyers off if there’s a lot taking up space.
If you have nowhere to put the clutter, or don’t have the time to sort through it quite yet — or perhaps you’re moving some place bigger, where you can take it all — put it in storage for now.
If a buyer comes to view your home and can’t even see the space because of all the stuff you have, they’re understandably not going to make an offer.
2. Deep Clean Everything
When it comes to what to do before selling your home, deep cleaning everything is the most obvious action and an absolute must.
When you’ve gotten rid of the clutter, deep clean everything. Chances are there are stains and scents you’ve just gotten used to over the years.
We all have them, but new people in the home will definitely notice.
Take the time to clean every corner of the house, or hire a professional cleaning company to come and do it for you. It’ll be worth the end result.
3. Decide What To Do With Pets
One of the tips for preparing to sell a home that people often overlook is what to do with their pets.
If you have cats, you’ll want to hide the litter boxes and set up a space to keep them when people are viewing the home. Keeping them enclosed in the garage for a brief period of time — if it’s safe — is ideal, or having them stay with a friend if they’re social.
It’s the same with dogs, though they tend to be easier and more adaptable.
Make sure you’ve picked up any pet mess outside too.
If you have an animal that sheds a lot and you don’t have another place for them to stay while viewings are happening, be vigilant about vacuuming up the hair they leave around. Consider couch covers!
4. Depersonalize the Space
It may be sad to depersonalize a home, but you should do so before people come to view it. People want to be able to picture themselves in the home, and that’s hard to do if all of your stuff is there, clearly marking it as yours.
Take away any artwork on the walls and decorations hung up that are very personal to you.
Keep the colors as neutral as possible too, so it gives the impression that the space can be changed to suit the buyer.
5. Touch Things Up
You don’t have to do everything to the house — that’s for the buyer to do when they get it! However, if there are obvious things wrong with the decor such as chipped paint, stains, or scratches in places, then touching them up will really help.
If things don’t match in the kitchen, give the cabinets a fresh lick of paint, for example. Things like that will really help your house stand out in the market.
6. Repairs
If there are any major repairs needed, you should have those done before putting your house on the market.
You might want to hire some people to come over and check everything out, as they’ll be able to professionally advise you if repairs are needed. The last thing you want is to have an offer fall through because the home inspector for the buyer found a whole host of problems.
It can be intimidating to find out that your house needs a lot of work, but better to find out and do it now than later in the process.
7. Have a Friend Over
The last thing you should do is have a trusted friend over to check things out.
We grow so used to our homes that we may not see the flaws anymore. We might not smell the pet odor, because we’ve been living with it for so long, and we might not think to pull up rugs to look at the stains underneath.
Make sure the friend you have over is honest! They shouldn’t be afraid to check things out and tell you the truth about what would put them off, because they’ll be helping you out in the long run.
Someone else who isn’t as used to the house will spot the things you can’t, and will have questions for you about what you can do.
Do These Things For Success Before Selling Your Home!
If you take the time and effort to do each of these things before selling your home, you’ll have a lot of success. Certain things can make the world of difference when it comes to a buyer’s decision, and you want to make sure that your home sells fast and that you get what it’s worth.
A little effort now means a better result at the end of the whole process.
If you’re in a rush, however, you can sell your home for cash. Contact us today to see what we can do if you need to sell your house ASAP.
