Even in a hot housing market, you can’t just put your house on the market as is – unless you want a low ball price and a slow sale. If you want to get the best value for what you’re offering, and a sale that matches your timeline, you need to get your offering ready for house hunters. It’s not complicated, and it shouldn’t be pricey, but it does take just a few quick prep steps to get into a great selling position.
Make Repairs
You may no longer notice the dripping bathroom faucet or that bedroom door that sticks. But home buyers will and they’ll overestimate the amount it costs to fix the problem. They’ll then deduct these repairs from their offer. In addition, they may start wondering what other problems the home may have that you did not tend to. Avoid all the speculation by making visible and essential repairs to your home.
Declutter
Eliminate the stack of toys in the kid’s bedroom, your framed family portraits above the fireplace, and your prized collection of Elvis plates from the dining room wall. Nothing makes a room feel smaller than disorganized piles of stuff. You want potential buyers to imagine themselves in your home and they can only do that if the rooms are cleared of as much of your personal possessions as possible.
Eliminate Pests
Household pests crawling across the floor will not only freak many of your buyers out but they can be hazardous to your health or your structure. No one is going to make an offer on a house where cockroaches are bringing in disease or termites are munching on the rafters. Some companies, like Midwest Pest Control, offer pest control service in Broken Arrow to help get rid of these sort of home invaders. Trying to sell a home with a pest problem could be very difficult.
Fix the Furniture Situation
Large outdated pieces of furniture in bizarre colors will take attention away from what your interior looks like and make your rooms feel crowded and old. Remove as much of the furniture as possible from the room. Your home will suddenly feel larger and more modern. Also consider staging your house to give it a polished, model home feel. The right staging for your home could increase it’s value by up to 15% according to the latest from the National Association of Realtors.
Deep Clean
Wash the windows, vacuum the carpets, and make the bathroom fixtures sparkle. Cleaning every nook and cranny of the interior makes it look brighter, newer and more welcoming. Buyers will also assume that if you spend that much care and attention keeping what’s visible clean, then you’ve probably kept the rest of your home well-maintained.
All of the steps may take time but don’t cost a lot of money. A bit of advance preparation can make all the difference in getting your property sold at close to or above your asking price as quickly as possible. Start the process now if you plan to sell in the future and start chatting with a First Team real estate expert to get a more complete selling strategy.
Email us at clientservices@firstteam.com
Call us at 888-870-1142
This guest post is written by Rachelle Wilber, a freelance writer living in the San Diego area. She graduated from San Diego State University with her BA in Journalism and Media Studies. When she isn’t on her porch writing in the sun, you can find her shopping, at the beach, or at the gym. Follow her on twitter @RachelleWilber.
