Preparing your home to sell it an essential to get top dollar for your home. Owners who take the necessary time to prepare their home get thousands more than those who don’t. While upgrades adding value if obvious many homeowners neglect the easiest way to increase the buyers purchase price. These small changes have huge ROI (Return on Investment) Your first impression is everything.
Interior:
Interior Painting
While you cannot predict the absolute best color schemes for your buyer. You can market to the average buyer. I always suggest you paint your home in bright neutral colors to help buyers envision themselves living in your home.
Clean Up
Put the dishes away, make the bed, and tuck your children’s toys away. You may want to consider hiring a professional cleaning service to come through and give your home a deep cleaning.
Residing Smells
This is essential, if you have any strong odors in your home like pets or garbage. THese smells are huge turn offs for potential buyers coming to view the property. Put litter boxes in a place will contain the odors. Do whatever you can to remove pet odor from carpets and furniture. Fabric freshener like Febreze can help make a place smell much cleaner.
Light Makes your Home look Larger
Clean all your windows and keep window blinds and shades opened. Turn on as many lights as you can in rooms, sometimes I might suggest you do it during the day as well.
Un-clutter and Create Space
Clutter creates a feeling of claustrophobia and it also creates a sense of confusion. Clear all shelves and pack as much clutter away. Get a storage locker to hold all of your additional belongings. This also opens up the space within your home and makes it appear larger. Kitchen countertops should be completely clean and all (as many as you can) should be stored away.
Remove magnets and personal notes from your refrigerator. Every closet, every shelf from the living room to the garage.
Remember you want your house to feel as open as possible.
Removing Personal Effects
Your family photos and personal effects are a distraction to buyers. You also want the buyers to imagine the house as theirs. Have them fall in love with your home, not you. Also, remove distracting art from your walls.
Exterior:
The exterior of your home needs to be attractive (First Impression) If your house is rundown or uninviting it will make it easier for buyers to give you a lower offer or walk away. (This is why the banks pay companies to maintain their properties.) Walk across the street from your house and evaluate the neighborhood as compared to your home. Walk around the property, cause your buyers will.
Landscaping
This is the first thing you will notice as you walk up. Is the lawn mowed? Are the branches trimmed? Generously water and fertilize your exterior lawn and shrubs. Prune overgrown shrubs and trees. Remove lawn equipment, tools, your kids toys that may be laying around in the backyard. Any rundown play equipment should also be removed from the property.
Exterior Painting
This is one of the best ways to improve the value of your home outside/inside. You may want to update the color or give the house a new coat of paint. I suggest using light colored earth tones on the exterior. If your home has any wood siding or vinyl give it a solid washing to restore its appearance.
Fencing Repairs
If your home has an older wooden fence with sections that need repair you need to address it. In areas with deterioration you might want to consider staining, painting, or power washing if the deterioration isn’t too bad. These options are far cheaper than replacing the fencing but in some cases you would want to replace your fence.
Roof Repairs
Fix any of your hanging or loose gutters around the house. Also, keep in mind the law requires you to disclose any repair or replacement needed for the roof. If you leave this to the buyer it will cost you much more than doing it yourself. Also, your home will sell much faster and prevent any objections from the buyer after their home inspection. (These repairs can give more buyers a chance to purchase your home.)
Outdoor Structures and Decks
Walk thru or over any structures or decks around your home. Be aware of appearance and wear and tear. If you have a wooden deck typically you can power wash, stain, and reseal the wood. This keeps the cost down for you. By taking advantage extends the life of the deck and provides a whole new look. Porches and decks are very important to potential buyers. This can normally be done in just a few days and cost very little.