So you are ready to put your house on the market. Congratulations! This represents a big step towards your future and we are so excited to be here and support you through the process. Just like with any large event in your life, preparation is key. As your Realtors, we will work hard to make sure your home is marketed well and seen by numerous qualified buyers.
We’ve put together a list of items we recommend doing when preparing to put your house on the market. These help make sure it photographs and shows well to prospective buyers. While none of these are required, the more you do the better the results.
Personal Items
Our home is covered in personal items. You can tell we live and enjoy our space! And while that is wonderful for where you live, once your home hits the market the idea is that it’s no longer your “home“ but instead a possible home for someone else. We want them to walk in and be able to visualize their future life there, rather than see your experiences and memories. We recommend packing away the following to help buyers see themselves in it:
- Family photos
- Religious items
- Self-care items, such as a toothbrush, shampoos, etc. – just put them under the counter!
- Security risk items, such as bills and statements, birth certificates, social security cards, or other things of value
Also, if there is an item that is meaningful to you that you’d like to take with you, like a chandelier or curtains, we will want to swap those out BEFORE showing your home so there isn’t an expectation from buyer that they are staying.
Maintenance Items
Are there a few things in your home you always meant to get to, but never quite had time? We understand. It happens to the best of us. But now that someone else is thinking of buying your home, let’s get those taken care of so it looks in tip top shape! A well-kept home will often fetch a higher price. Here are some items we recommend taking care of before you list:
- Patch any holes/scuffs on the wall created by removing picture nails or other wear and tear
- If you have a bold color on a wall, consider painting it a neutral like white or light gray. Sometimes buyers have a hard time seeing past paint colors that don’t match their personal style.
- Touch up any chips to baseboards with fresh paint or wood oil
- If you have wood cabinets in your home, consider oiling them to help rejuvenate them
- Do your carpets look worn? A professional cleaning and re-stretching can go a long way and is much less costly than replacing with new!
Cleaning
When determining what price to offer on your home, buyers will often use cleanliness as a proxy to determine how well you’ve cared for the property. A well cared for home will often receive a higher price point because buyers assume less work is needed once they move in. Here is what you can do to make sure your home looks it’s best:
- Clean your bathroom. Take care to work on those items that go beyond a surface wipe down and show more wear and tear.
- Showers
- Bathtubs
- Sinks
- Toilets
- Countertops and other surfaces
- Baseboards (yes, we hate cleaning those too!)
- Clean crumbs and dust your kitchen and bathroom drawers
- Clean your dishwasher. Did you know this was a thing? We didn’t for the longest time. But there actually are cleaning packs you can get to cycle through and make sure it sparkles!
Staging
If your home is occupied, we will work directly with you to discuss how to best stage your home. We do this by visiting each room and evaluating it as a potential buyer would for space and use. We will make custom recommendations on where to place furniture, what to pack away, and often will bring in décor items to help. These are specific to each home, so we look forward to talking in more details with you. In the meantime, here are some general guidelines we like to use:
- Remove all toys, baskets, etc. from perimeter of rooms. This can indicate your home lacks sufficient storage, and while that may be true for your experience (and could be why you are moving), your home could still be a good fit for someone else. We don’t want them to immediately assume it won’t work because they see your items over-flowing.
- Clear out your closets. They need to appear spacious and not crammed. A lot of times this means packing away some of your less used items until you get to your next home. We can drop off boxes to help.
- Remove all items from your counter tops. This creates a look of clutter and again makes it look like space is lacking. You can leave your hand soaps on the counter, but other items should be tucked into the cabinets in your kitchen and bathrooms.
We hope these tips are helpful as you get ready to list. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.