How to Prep Your Home for Sale
You’ve chosen your builder and are well into finalizing your options and lot location, but there is one more major part of your new home to be accomplished. You must plan for the sale of your former home!
The process of selling your home is an essential part of your new build and in order to be successfully accomplished will need to be planned like any other business transaction. A home isn’t something you can sell spur of the moment. Your agent will have a defined plan and will want to offer a specific experience for the prospective buyers that will require some level of participation on your part. There are also legal formalities that will be required that your agent will be well versed in and of tremendous assistance to you in handling.
The legal documentation related to the sale of a home, if done incorrectly, can cost the seller a considerable amount of money, so it’s an advantageous approach to have an agent who specializes in such things on hand to look out for your interests.
The following is a standard list you should adhere to as much as possible from the very beginning, before you even start to show your home for sale. If you want to be able to get the best value for your home, it is highly recommended you begin to address these factors immediately.
Prep List
De-clutter:
If you have lived in your home a long time, or just have a very active household, things tend to accumulate. Very quickly our homes become filled with things that take up space; sometimes to the point of creating what others might perceive as a mess. When you are preparing to show your home, you want to make the best impression and leave plenty of room in the mind’s eye of your potential buyer for their lives in your home. Organize your belongings in your home to optimize available space in an aesthetically pleasing manner. If that’s not possible, perhaps removing some of your possessions and placing them in storage is the best solution. Work with your agent and discuss what perception you would like to promote and the best ways to make that happen. Whatever solution you come up with, be sure the home is seen as efficient and neat, easily modifiable to accommodate your potential buyer’s style.
Make Beds:
If you are in the habit of leaving the house each morning without actually making your beds, you might have a challenge. Your agent could potentially bring prospective buyers to view your house & they could find unmade beds. OK, so this isn’t really a significant problem, it simply offers an exceptionally negative impression. If there’s no way you can make your bed before departing for the day, you might talk with your agent and specify when it’s acceptable for them to bring people through the home, or perhaps bring them through only on weekends, the only time you make your bed!
Clean Closets:
Make certain your closets & drawers are neatly set up. It simply provides an impression of order within the family. Chaotic closets represent chaos and give a misguided impression of your home to potential customers.
Light:
Make sure that you have your drapes open; let in enough natural light to highlight your home sufficiently. Usage natural light as far as attainable. Artificial lighting will most certainly boost the presentation of the interiors of your home, however, relying solely on artificial lighting can darken the overall impression of your home. Using natural lighting as much as possible allows your home to appear open and welcoming while maintaining a coziness at the same time.
Don’t be Home:
Your agent should do the showings. Someone considering a purchase of this magnitude will want to take a close look at what they might own. They may feel restricted if you’re there while they examine everything and ask whatever pointed questions come to mind. If you’re serious about selling your home then you need to give prospective buyers every advantage in making the decision to buy your home. Don’t worry, your agent will be sure to guide them and sell them on your property. Frankly, it’s in their best interest as well to make the sale.
Tidy backyard:
Your yard is where first impressions truly begin. Ensure your lawn is neat and tidy and pleasantly appointed. As with closets and beds, this too plays a substantial role in forming a great impression.
Be Accessible:
While it’s true you shouldn’t be present at the viewings, that doesn’t mean turn off your phone and become a ghost. Questions may arise during any viewing that your agent or the prospective buyer will want an answer to as soon as available, and the quicker the better. You don’t want them going off to look at another property and crossing yours off because of a few unanswered, and perhaps ultimately unimportant questions. This is one way to help your property get sold quickly. Keep your agent informed of your schedule and how best to reach you at any given moment.
Dogs and family pets:
You may have unusual pets, or even just a harmless dog or cat. Having no idea the penchant of the people considering your home, it’s recommended you make your animals disappear, even if just temporarily. You never know how people feel about pets and you certainly wouldn’t want them to pass over your home just because of some irrelevant opinion.
Smell:
Ensure your property does hold any unpleasant odors under any circumstances. It is a significant detriment to any kind of positive impression. Some agents will bake cookies just before showing a home! Scented candles are also readily available that can give your home the flavor of your choice.
Inspect Routinely:
Once you’ve set up your home for viewing, you need to regularly inspect to ensure everything remains in place, particularly the above criteria. Do a regular check up, perhaps once a week. Arrange the closets, mow the yard. Your home should present as a vibrant home of a content family. Take care to never offer an impractical impression. Show your house just as it is, a reflection of all the great times you have spent there with your family.
Work with your agent to favorably show your home for sale
An effective agent will ensure your home is presented with its best face forward and hopefully guarantee you a quick sale to a lovely family.
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