Don’t List Your House Until You Do These 3 Things

As an agent, people always ask me for the “truth” with respect to what is most important when selling your home. I guess as opposed to what is a myth…? Anyway, I thought I would share within this blog the 3 most important thing that can’t be overlooked when wanting to sell your home for the most money!

1) Clean & Organize – Did you ever wonder why Nordstrom’s has such a HUGE following? Well b/c it’s clean and organized is in the top 5 reasons in a recent survey. We all have busy and hectic lives, so when we think about an exceptional shopping experience or a place we’d like to call home, we need it to be a respite, a haven for order which will allow relaxation, thus clean and organized. I suggest getting your home deep cleaned by a local cleaner just before listing your home. It allows you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re putting your home’s best foot forward. As for organization, keep in mind, prospective buyers will be opening closets and drawers… so it’s important to pay attention to the details, which includes packing up extra items not needed now, organizing your linen & master bedroom closets, etc. You might arrange your towels in light to dark colors and/or you could arrange your clothing light to dark (ie light colors on the left moving toward darkest colors on the right), etc. This will make your closets/area appear larger and well cared for which appeals to serious buyers!

2) Neutralize – With the popularity of the ‘Chip & Joanna Gaines’ look, it is more important now than ever before to ensure your home is neutral and well maintained! No matter where you live, buyers are willing to pay MORE for homes that are move-in ready, so to the extent you can ensure your home shows neutral vs eclectic, the better positioned you will be to sell for top dollar. Some examples of neutralizing your home include: painting brightly colored walls a neutral color, accessorizing the rooms with light pillow, lightly colored pillows, etc., remove outdated window treatments and furniture, take down personal photos and box them up in preparation for moving. Additionally, due to more and more allergies, it is more important now than ever before to remove all scents from the home. You don’t want to turn off an otherwise buyer… Instead, you could bake cookies or brownies and leave them with a note of welcome to the buyers. These little touches go a long way with qualified buyers!

3) Let the Light Shine – Without question, the #1 reason buyers don’t offer on a home they like is due to the lack of fresh daylight coming into the home! They say, ” Oh my goodness, it sure is dark in here, let’s get outta here… Sometimes it’s simply removing heavy swags & curtain treatments which lets more light flow inside, other times it’s opening up all the blinds, shades and curtain panels to allow allllll that beautiful light to stream into the home. Other times, it’s ensuring that all lights are on for showings. If this sounds odd, think about model homes. Did you ever notice they have the lamps and lights on during the day? There’s a reason. Buyers want light and they’re happy to pay a premium to get it.

So there you have it! The truth as to the most important things to do before listing your home. I am here to help you with all of your real estate needs, so please reach out to me so that I can come meet with you personally. I look forward to meeting you!