By Jessica Mok Realtor-Associate (RS-75246)
November 2022
You have decided that you want to list your house! It may be time to upgrade, relocate for a job transfer, for personal reasons, or it is just time to move on. Well… the market is not like it was before, not even like it was just a few short months ago. It is now taking creativity and work to get homes sold. But in all honesty, we are still in a Seller’s market. The median days on the market in October were just 19 days! For those who follow the market, we had gotten used to homes selling in 10 days, and now 19 days seems like a lifetime.
Naturally, it is always most advantageous to sell your house once you have moved, cleared out the clutter, cleaned, and staged it. But that’s not always possible. Not to fear, as I will share five tips on how you can get your house ready to list and get the best and highest price, especially in today’s market.
1. De-clutter
You want to maximize the space in your home and make it look open and spacious. You can easily do this by de-cluttering. Remove large furniture from the living room and bedrooms, clear off as much counter space in the kitchen, store away appliances you don’t always use, put away knick-knacks, and clear off bathroom counters, desks, and consoles. Rent a storage locker if needed! You may have to live like a minimalist, but trust me, it will pay off.
2. De-personalize
When selling your home, you want to make your home feel warm and welcoming, but you also want to depersonalize. You want Buyers to be able to imagine themselves living there. You want to put away most framed photos, awards, task charts, and toys. It is also a good idea to put away political and religious articles. Some people have strong feelings about these things, and you don’t want a Buyer to pre-judge you based on them, so it is best just to put them away.
3. Deep clean
“Eww, do you smell that?” This is the last thing you want a Buyer to say when they walk into your home. Consider having your home deep cleaned by a professional.
Sometimes we become accustomed and desensitized to the smells in our homes, but these same smells can be foreign to a Buyer’s nose. Smells could stem from pets, carpets, dirty kitchen appliances, bathroom gunk, and a teenager’s or baby’s rooms. No, you don’t have to kick your teenager out but bring in the professionals. Deep cleaning your home will attract more interest which will translate to more offers!
4. Paint
Now it’s time to paint your home. You won’t believe what a coat of paint can do. Make sure you are using neutral and light colors. Pick a color in the white or light grey, or light beige family. Painting your walls a light color will make your spaces look brighter and bigger. Remember to keep it as soft and neutral as possible. You can always add pops of color with pillows or blankets.
5. Make repairs
Does your wall have holes from old pictures? Is that ceiling fan light not working? Is your door not properly closing? Is your toilet always running?
All these things seem so minor, but you wouldn’t want a Buyer walking into your home and thinking that you didn’t take good care of it!
6. Curb appeal
First impressions are everything. As soon as a Buyer gets out of their car, they will start judging your home, and you want to make a positive impact on them. You don’t need to spend a lot of money but get ready to put in some elbow grease. You can pick the weeds, plant some colorful plants and flowers, fix or paint your fence, paint your old mailbox, put away the lawn tools and toys in your storage, throw some grass seeds in dried areas or you can even spray paint your grass!
Prepping your home can be stressful but make sure you give yourself the proper time to get these things done. Remember to put your Buyers hat on when figuring out what you will want to tackle.
Getting these things done before listing your home will make the selling process much more manageable.
