Getting your house ready to sell

It’s a fact, first impressions count and this is especially true when selling your home. If you’re getting your house ready to sell these house selling tips will get you off to a good start.

Because real estate has no recommended selling price, you, as a seller, can significantly impact the final sale price of your home.

There are plenty of things to do when getting your house ready to sell. By following these tips for selling your house you will be miles ahead of your competition by the time your first potential buyer walks through the door.

It’s hard, I understand. But this step is so important. It will ensure that you don’t languish on the market for months on end.

When getting your house ready to sell, the first, and often the hardest thing to do is disassociate yourself from your home.

Once you decide to place your home on the market for sale you need to start thinking of it as a marketable commodity. Understandably this can be very difficult to do. Your home has usually been your sanctuary for a long time and you’ll have many happy memories here.

However, it’s different for the buyer. This is usually the biggest financial decision that they will ever make. It’s also a very emotional decision for them. You want them to fall in love with your home the first time that they see it. The best way to do this is to follow my tips below and give buyers what they expect, a clean and tidy home that is well maintained and presented.

If a potential buyer doesn’t connect with your property on the first inspection it is usually very difficult to get them back for a second look.

Selling a property is no different. You want the buyer to fall in love. To do this you need to put your emotional connection aside and view the home from an outsiders perspective.

Owners who invest a little time and effort into the preparation will sell quicker, and for a higher sale price, than those owners that do not.

Most of these house selling tips are relatively inexpensive. By investing a little time and effort you will help to ensure that buyers are clamouring for your property when it hits the market. And competing buyers is what will push your sale price up!

If you’re looking for tips on preparing the outside of the property click here.

The following tips for selling your house will help you to prepare the inside of your property which will help buyers to really connect with your home and envision themselves living there.

As a seller, this should be your ultimate goal, and there are a couple of ways to achieve this, most of which cost very little and can make your home more appealing to a greater number of buyers.

If you only do one thing on this list make sure it is this. Once a buyer is found you will need to pack and move anyway so you might as well get a head start. A good rule of thumb is to pack away anything that you have not used in the past six months. Start with books and photos.

I understand that most of us have a sentimental attachment to our photos but when selling we need to remove the emotion and minimise the number of personal possessions on show.

Buyers need to imagine themselves in the property. It is a huge investment that they are making but it’s also a lifestyle choice. Be careful with your colour choices, stick to neutrals and introduce colour with accessories. Re think any bold coloured feature walls. You want to appeal to the widest audience possible and while neutral can seem boring it is best to play it safe when selling. You can always add colour with accessories.

Just because a home is older it doesn’t need to look past its ‘used by date’. Curtains are not ‘in’ anymore and in the majority of cases it is wise to remove them from the living areas. Though there are exceptions to every rule. If you decide to replace the window coverings choose one of the new styles of blinds over verticals. Vertical blinds were very popular in the 1980’s but there are much more modern choices available today.

Older style mats and rugs should also be removed. Doilies and mismatched photo frames and old fashioned or dated art work should be packed away to be opened when you arrive at your new place.

Clean windows and mirrors so that they sparkle. If fly-screens are ripped or torn replace them. Window tracks should be clean and free of ‘gunk’ and dust. Remove any cobwebs.

Give the walls a clean with Sugar Soap, patch any holes in the walls and re coat with a fresh lick of paint.

Remove photos, bills and children’s artwork from the fridge and make sure that bench and counter tops are clutter free. Minimise what is stored in the cupboards. Buyers will often open kitchen and linen cupboards to size up space. If you have everything crammed in this will make it seem as though your home lacks storage space. Pack everything else away into boxes for the move or donate to charity.

For more about preparing a home for inspection while you have a pet click here.

Try to ensure sure that light switches are wiped clean and free of fingerprints. Also, make sure that beds are made, dishes are washed and put away and that the dusting and the vacuuming has been done. Keep the front entry way clear and be sure to remove shoes from the doorway.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to prepare the home prior to launching it to the market. Homes that are clean, tidy and well presented attract more offers, better prices and less buyer objections than poorly presented and maintained homes.

Make the effort to de-clutter, clean, and repair anything in the home that is broken. Also tend to all those odd jobs that you may have been putting off. There’s a lot to do in getting your home ready to sell but armed with these tips you’ll be off to a good start.

If you’d like more tips for selling your house and ideas for getting your home ready to sell get your free book here.