As a Realtor®, you know that selling a house can be quite a large endeavor – especially if the house isn’t ready to go. Because winter is slow, but spring is just around the corner, your prospects, friends and family might already be asking you that promising question – “What are the best things that I can do to get my house ready to sell in the spring?”
Next time you’re faced with that question, don’t forget to mention these 4 can’t-miss elements of prepping a house for sale. Then ask for the listing – your clients will thank you once their house sells quickly!
- Staging
Recently, a study was conducted featuring two identical homes – one staged, the other not. The home that was staged sold in 45 days, while it took 102 days for the non-staged home to sell. Case in point, staging is incredibly important. It makes sense – homes that have been staged well tend to sell more quickly because potential buyers can really visualize what the house would look like once they’ve moved in.
If your client is serious about selling their home, they might want to consider having it professionally staged. It’s well worth the investment if the home really does sell quickly.
- Paint the Interior Walls
Painting is such a simple (and inexpensive) detail that can really add a lot of character to any room. Plus, it’s a great way for your client to increase the value of their home. According to a study done by HomeGain.com, painting interior walls will result in a 250% return on investment, ranking just behind cleaning and de-cluttering, lightening and brightening, and landscaping the front and back yard for the top home updates with the highest return on investment.
However, make sure your client is thinking long term with their painting choices. While bright colored walls might suit their style, it probably won’t be the case for future homebuyers. Recommend that they stick with more neutral colors like tan, beige, and gray for a more even, clean and fresh look.
- Remove Clutter and Organize
If 100 people come to look at your client’s home when it’s up for sale, only 10 of those people will be able to visualize the true potential of the home, meaning that the other 90 will not be able to see past the disorganization and clutter. If your client has a lot of stuff lying around their house, de-cluttering and/or reorganizing might just do wonders for the resale value of their home.
Recommend that your client keeps only what is necessary and functional in the home. Tell them to remove all knickknacks and personal effects such as photos and collectibles. These things might be comforting and homey to them, but to a potential buyer, these sort of things just make it harder for them to visualize what the house might look like with their own things inside.
- Take Professional Photos
Finally, make sure your client invests in some high-quality professional photos of their home. Nowadays everyone thinks that they can be a professional photographer with their iPhones and special photo editing apps – and while these things are great, they in no way make up for having quality, professional photos taken of your client’s home. They’re well worth the investment, especially if they help the home sell quickly.
Plus, professional photos can be quite versatile. Not only will these photos come in handy when you go to list your client’s home online, but they’ll also help you create amazing just-listed flyers and postcards to help spread the word about the new listing.
So, if your clients are asking you what they can do to help get their homes ready for a spring sale, recommend investing in staging, painting interior walls, de-cluttering and reorganizing, and taking professional photos. With those 4 elements in place, your clients’ homes should sell in no time!
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