After the deep freeze we have been experiencing in the Northwest, it is nice to see some sunshine in the forecast. Since the sun is starting to come out, it is time to start getting your home ready for the market if you are planning to sell this spring. The market is crazy right now and on average, a home gets at least 3 offers within 24 hours of being listed but that is only if the home is in market ready condition. If you have ever wanted to sell your home, now is the time. It can be quite pricey to hire companies to stage the home or update it to get it market ready. However, there are simple and budget-friendly ways to update the home and then stage it for potential buyers. These inexpensive tips and tricks can be the difference between your house sitting on the market for 7 days or 70 days.
A major selling point to potential buyers is an updated kitchen. When updating the house, always put the kitchen first. Many agents say that you aren’t selling the home, you are selling the kitchen. The kitchen is the focal point of the whole home and the benefits of remodeling your kitchen can make the difference of about $10,000 in the listing price. An outdated kitchen can turn off potential buyers and a few simple fixes can include repainting the kitchen in a neutral color and adding inexpensive hardware. There cabinet repainting kits that can help you give your kitchen cabinets a new, fresh look. Giving your kitchen a neutral makeover can help the potential buyers envision their own style in the kitchen.
Minor repairs can also make a huge difference when it comes to attracting a buyer. Small details can turn buyers off because all they can think about it how that is just another thing that they will have to fix themselves after the exhaustive process of moving. Also, making minor repairs is a lot cheaper than a major overhaul and sometimes if you dump a lot of money into high-cost upgrades, chances are you will not get a good return on your investment. Paint the interior with neutral colors like eggshell and taupe to help create a backdrop that inspires the imagination of the buyers. Replace door handles, clean the grout in the bathroom, and fix any cracked tiles or leaky faucets. These small upgrades will help get your home market ready quickly and cheaply.
Once the upgrades have been completed, it is time to prep the home for staging. The first step in prepping is to completely let go of the idea that this is your home. This act of disassociation will help to get you into the selling mindset. Picture yourself handing over the keys to the new owners and make the mental decision that you will be moving into a new home. Say good-bye to the house and the great memories that were created there. Always remember to look towards to the future and not the past.
Once the kitchen has been updated and the minor changes have been made, it is time to get the home prepared for staging. The biggest aspect of getting your home ready for the sale, is to de-personalize the home. Carefully pack up all those personal photographs and family heirlooms. You want the potential buyers to envision their own personalized touches in the house to help them see themselves living there. Also, de-cluttering the home will also help create a clean slate for the buyer’s imagination. People end up accumulating a lot of stuff over the years and their homes and become full of excess things. De-cluttering will not only help make your move easier but will also help create that clean slate discussed above. The best way to approach the de-cluttering process, the KonMari method is the most comprehensive method of letting go of your stuff and getting organized. The KonMari method to tidying up revolves around the concept of purging those items that do not bring you joy. This no-excuse elimination process will help get your home ready for the market. If there are items that you absolutely must keep, then rent a storage unit to store the extra items that you wish to keep for your new home.
Once all the clutter and the personal items are gone, it is time to clean your home until it sparkles. When an agent starts bringing buyers into the house, those buyers go through everything. They will open the fridge and pull back the shower curtain. An unsightly home can turn off potential buyers so make sure to wash the windows, re-caulk tubs, shower and sinks, wax the floors, polish any chrome or stainless steel surfaces and dust everywhere. Also, we end up getting used to certain smells in our house but that doesn’t mean that the general public will enjoy those smells. Banish those smells with a neutral smelling air deodorizer. A clean home is easier to sell and will cut the time it sits on the market in half.
After these changes have been made, it is time to list the home. Working with a listing agent that you trust is key to making sure that your home sells quickly and efficiently. If you need to stage the home, make sure to keep it simple. Once again, the goal is to give the home a neutral tone to help the buyers envision their stuff inside the home. These simple yet effective tips will help you to sell your home quickly. If you are looking for an agent, make sure to contact us!