How To Sell Your Home With Ease
Selling a home can be stressful, but hiring a great agent and following the steps below can help the process go much more smoothly!
1. Clean and declutter
There are many strategies for selling a house fast, but when you’re short on time, one definite must is making your home’s interior appeal to as many buyers as possible.
Get a storage unit and pack away any extra belongings or large furnishings that are making rooms look crowded, small or messy.
Organize the closets. Buyers are looking for storage space, so they’re definitely going to peek in closets, storage areas and pantries. Don’t cram extra belongings into closets — leave enough open space to give the impression that the home has plenty of storage. After all, 64 percent of buyers surveyed for the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report 2018 said that ample storage was extremely or very important.
Personal belongings, like family photos, keepsakes and religious items, distract buyers and prevent them from picturing themselves living in the home. You’ll also want to remove or secure valuables and medications.
Do a deep clean on every room of the house, including baseboards, kitchen cabinets, bathroom tile and carpets. Since you’re short on time, consider calling in some professionals.
2. Hire an agent
In my opinion, this is the most important step. You want to find an agent that will understand your goals and reasons for selling, and customize a plan to sell your home to meet your needs. Depending on your financial needs and timeline, an agent can also assist if you decide to sell to an investor or online to one of the “iBuyers”- it’s always best to have someone on your side negotiating on your behalf!
3. Handle any quick repairs
While you don’t have time for major renovations, it’s still important to take care of any easy fixes that might deter potential buyers:
Patch up spots where paint is peeled or scratched.
Fix loose tiles.
Repair loose door handles.
Tighten leaky faucets.
Swap out all broken light bulbs
You may also want to invest in a few minor upgrades that will make your home show better (but make sure you talk to your agent first so you don’t end up spending unnecessarily):
Apply a fresh coat of paint inside.
Install new hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
Swap out old or outdated light fixtures.
Purchase matching (newer) appliances.
5. Stage and add curb appeal
Almost every seller, even in today’s market, can benefit from a weekend spent sprucing up their home’s interior and exterior. After all, making a good first impression with buyers is crucial. You may also decide to do some light or full staging, though usually decluttering and a good clean are enough!
Your home’s exterior is the first in-person glimpse potential buyers will have of your home, so it’s important that it looks welcoming, well-maintained and tidy. Here are some tips to make your house sell faster with good curb appeal. And when speed is key, consider hiring a professional landscaper to make quick work of these tasks:
Trim hedges, shrubs and overgrown tree branches.
Clear walkways and paths.
Clean windows and doorknobs.
Sweep away spiderwebs and debris from the front porch.
Replace broken lights or mailboxes.
Paint the front door.
Plant flowers or add a few pots.
7. Plan in advance what happens once your home goes live on the market.
While it’s important to be as accommodating as possible with showing requests, if you’re going to be living in the home while it’s for sale, its equally important to make sure you have a plan for what that’s going to look like. Some sellers like to go out of town or do a small staycation the first weekend the home goes on the market, that way the home is available for open houses and to allow as many people as possible through the home in the shortest amount of time. Other sellers need to be more rigid, maybe only allowing showings on certain days and times. Whatever your situation is, it’s important to talk to your agent so that you can come up with a plan that makes the process easiest on you while still working towards your goal!
Adapted from Zillow.com
