I absolutely love selling Real Estate - and do you know what I love even more than that?
When my clients have a great experience selling their Homes.
Selling your home can be SUCH an emotional roller coaster - here are some tips to help the transaction go a smooth as possible. Everyone wants their home to sell fast and bring top dollar, right? Well, it's not luck that makes that happen. It's careful planning and knowing how to professionally spruce up your home that will send home buyers scurrying for their checkbooks.
Here's how to prep a house an turn it into an irresistible and marketable home.
HERE'S HOW: The very first step in preparing a home for sale is to let go of your emotional attachment to it. Disassociate! Say to yourself, "This is not my home; is is a house - a product to be sold much like a gallon of milk on the grocery store shelf". Make the mental decision to 'let go' of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours. Don't look backwards - look towards the future!
DE-PERSONALIZE:
Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyer's can't see past personal artifacts, and you don't want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can't do that if yours are there! You don't want to make any buyer ask, "I wonder what kind of people love in this home?" You want buyers to say, "I can see myself living here".
DE-CLUTTER:
People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven't used it in over a year, you probably don't need it. If you don't need it, why not donate it or throw it away? Remove all books from bookcases. Pack up those knickknacks, Clean off everything on kitchen counters. Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use. This of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.
REARRANGE BEDROOM CLOSETS AND KITCHEN CABINETS
Buyer's love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good are of the rest of the house as well. This mans: Alphabetize spice jars. Neatly stack dishes. Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way. Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction. Line up shoes.
RENT A STORAGE UNIT:
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since you bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves form your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don't want buyers scratching their heads and saying, "What is this room used for?" They now have some great choices of 'pods' they will come, drop this off at your home, you can fill it and they will come back to pick it up and store it for as long as you need!
REMOVE/REPLACE FAVORITE ITEMS:
If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, they won't want it. Once you tell a buyer they can't have an item, they will covet it and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.
MAKE MINOR REPAIRS:
Replace cracked floor or counter tiles. Patch holes in walls. Fix leaky faucets. Fix doors that don't close properly or kitchen drawers that jam.
Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls (Don't give buyers any reason to remember your home as 'the house with the orange bathroom')
Replace burned-out light bulbs
If you've considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!
MAKE THE HOME SPARKLE
Wash windows inside and out. Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
Clean out cobwebs. Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks. Polish chrome faucets and mirrors. Clean out the refrigerator. Vacuum daily. Wax floors. Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures. Bleach dingy grout. Replace worn rugs. Hang up fresh towels. Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no.
SCRUTINIZE
Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you? Linger in the doorway of every singe room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer. Examine carefully how the furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense. Make sure window coverings hang level. Tune in to the room's statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and pizzazz? Does it look like nobody lives in the house? Good news - you're almost finished!!
CHECK CURB APPEAL
If a buyer won't get out of their agent's car because they do not like the exterior of your home, you'll never get them inside. Keep the sidewalks cleared. Mow the lawn. Paint faded window trim. Plant yellow flowers to group flower pots together, yellow evokes a buying emotion. Marigolds are inexpensive. Trim your bushes. Last but not least? Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.
AND YOU'RE DONE!
I know it sounds like a lot of work, most of you won't have to do every single thing on this list, so that's the good news! The point of this post is to let you know that there are many small things that you can do that will make a world of a difference when putting your home up for sale! It will definitely pay off!
If you or anyone that you know is needing a Real Estate Agent in or around Draper, Utah, I would absolutely love to help them. Please don't hesitate to call or email me anytime with any questions. I'm always happy to chat!
Thanks again for reading and have a GREAT day!
All the best,
Jill
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