(Hint: Home Staging is Key!)
You’ve decided to sell your house. Congratulations! So, aside from hiring a great Realtor®, what’s NEXT? You are asking yourself, and maybe your Realtor®, “How do I get my house ready for sale?”
Of course, hiring an Accredited Home Stager® is the best move. But what can YOU do to get your house ready for sale? There are many things you can do to get the process rolling all by yourself before I even show up!
Buyers Want Ready and Finished
First, take a look around inside your house. Make a list of the repairs you’ve been meaning to do when you “get around to it.” Now is the time! Even relatively minor investments in updating your house—such as fresh paint in your rooms and clean rugs and carpets—will pay off in higher offers from prospective buyers. Your Realtor® is an expert in knowing what buyers want and expect in a house.
If you’re not sure if your décor is outdated, ask a younger adult to come in and have a look. Millennials are the fastest-growing market segment for home buying, and they’re particular about what they want! Also, ask trusted friends to tour your house early in the game and give you honest opinions about what they would want changed if they were prospective buyers (but only if you’re able to take constructive criticism). People who don’t live in your house will see things you’ve learned to overlook.
What to Pack When You Want to Sell
Pack away all the things that make your house personal: family photos, children’s artwork, knickknacks and souvenirs from vacations. Be sure to pack up items that could be dangerous in the hands of children or strangers who visit your home. This includes guns, knives, ceremonial weapons/artwork, chemicals/toxic materials and more. You should even pack away the kitchen knife set on your countertop.
Pack up the personal items and artwork that have monetary or sentimental value to you. After all, you WANT strangers to be viewing your house, accompanied by their Realtors®, and in most cases, you won’t be there when they are. If you’d hate to lose it, pack it!
Pack away the same types of things that your mother always told you NOT to talk about in polite company! Political, religious and sexually suggestive items (“boudoir photography”, for example) will distract and possibly offend some prospective buyers.
Protect Yourself from Lawsuits
Don’t overlook the importance of protecting yourself financially when it comes to having people walk through your house and around your property. That means updating your homeowner’s insurance policy to protect you in case of slips, trips and falls by visitors.
I have many more great tips to share with you! And I will help make the process of preparing your home for sale smooth and trouble-free.
Contact me today for a free, no-obligation visit!