One of my favorite parts about helping my clients is preparing their home to go on the market! It’s important to take a good honest look inside and outside of the home to create a list of what’s working and what’s not. It’s always best to get an outside perspective for the most objective list. If you feel overwhelmed, take it one step at a time and use this list as a guide.
- Clean the Basebaords
- Reduce Clutter
- Think Like a Buyer
- Make it Smell Good
- Brighten the Home
CLEAN THE BASEBOARDS– Baseboards that look dirty and full of dust bunnies give potential buyers the feeling that the home has not been cleaned well, thus they may assume it has not been cared for. Cleaning the baseboards to remove all of the dirt and dust goes a long way in making your home show really well! If the baseboards are scratched and banged up, you may consider adding a fresh coat of paint. I promise you, this is one thing that many sellers overlook that makes a big difference!
REDUCE CLUTTER – This may seem obvious, but so many sellers are not taking the time to clean up all of the clutter in their homes before listing it for sale. Taking time to clear the clutter also makes it easier to show the home to potential buyers with short notice. I recommend that sellers remove all lotions and personal care products from the tops of bathroom countertops and keep them put away under the cabinet. Using pretty storage baskets or bins can help to organize shoes, pet toys, mail and any other items that quickly clutter the home and make it easy for quick clean-up.
THINK LIKE A BUYER -This one can be tough to do on your own, so this is where having an outside perspective comes in really handy. If you are doing this on your own, use your imagination to pretend YOU are not the owner and seller of the home, but instead you are looking at the home as a potential buyer. Walk through the home and make a list of the things you like and the things you do not like. You will probably find the items on your list will either be simple or could be major updates. I love having this list to talk through and prioritize with my clients. It helps to make decisions about what changes can be made to sell the house, quickly! If you’d like to schedule a time for me to do a complimentary walkthrough of your home, just send me a message, here.
MAKE IT SMELL GOOD – You’ve probably attended an open house where the REALTOR® has just baked fresh cookies and the house fills with the aroma of warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookies! Or maybe you’ve noticed the vanilla scents that greet you when you walk through one of the popular resort hotel/casinos in Las Vegas! Scent matters! Removing anything that is causing a bad odor is extremely important. Hiding a stinky smell with a candle doesn’t usually work. Once the home is clean, you might consider adding a diffuser with essentail oils or there are plug-ins available with a variety of scents. Personally, I recommend going with a food scent! Think warm apple pie, vanilla, sugar cookie, etc.
BRIGHTEN THE HOME – When you can create more light in your home it automatically increases the visual openness! Push the curtains open wide or pull the blinds up to allow more light in. When you do this, you will also want to make sure the windows are clean and that the view from the window is also visually appealing or at least clean and tidy! You don’t want to have the windows open in the living area to show a cluttered patio area! If your home doesn’t allow much natural light in, consider bringing in lamps or bright accents to help brighten the space.
We are already seeing a flurry of activity this year, with buyers getting ready to start their hunt. Don’t miss this window of opportunity, get your home ready to sell, today! If you still feel overwhelmed, give us a call and we will walk you through the entire process!
