08 Sep Do This Before You List Your Home For Sale
Selling your home can be a complicated task, but you can set some simple prep goals that will boost your selling power and allow you to appeal to more buyers.
Dig up the Paperwork
Before you exhaust yourself trying to get the fingerprints off the walls, locate all the important papers you’ll need to entice a potential buyer. The operating manuals for your appliances and HVAC system, notes about the paint colors you used on your walls and any applicable warranties are important to have on hand. They’ll show the listing agent that you have things under control, even if you don’t.
While you’re at it, pull out your old utility bills. You’re probably still in denial about having to pay for the water coming out of the tap — and going down the drain — but work through the pain. Those seasonal totals may help make your home look more appealing than the house one.
Get some Estimates
These aren’t estimates of how long it’s going to take you to explode when you find the six-month-old grilled cheese sandwich glued to the underside of the entertainment center. This type of estimate is about what it’ll cost to replace the stuff in your home that’s on its last legs — like the furnace, roof or water heater. You may not be prepared to overhaul worn-out items now, but knowing how much it will cost could give you an edge in negotiations.
Declutter, De-Personalize & Clean
Hide your kids and pets! Our goal here is to allow the buyer to imagine themselves living in your space. This is the time when you go through your belongings and discover that there isn’t anything worth keeping. It’s a sad but liberating moment. If most of your stuff is granny castoffs from the 1970s, decluttering your home will be easy. Ideally, your rooms should look open and kind of empty (marketers call that spacious). If they look more like a crammed to bursting rent-a-space unit, you’ve got your work cut out for you.
Give Your Landscaping a Facelift
You know when your sweetie spends all weekend detailing the car? Well, he should do that with the landscaping before you try to sell your home. Removing dead branches from trees, pulling weeds, painting fences and fixing driveway cracks will keep your home from giving the impression that it’s gone native. Don’t risk your home looking like it belongs in one of those futuristic horror movies where the ozone layer has fizzled out over the ‘burbs and the only people left alive are eating dog food right out of the can.
Get Professional Photos
Photos are your first impression for many buyers. Most likely, you’ll be attracting traffic through online channels like Zillow and Realtor.com. You’ll need some great photos to convey the feel of the space well and make sure you’re giving the best first impression.
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