Prepare to list your home!

Making a great first impression is a necessity when you are putting your home on the market. Let’s look at some of the things you can do that will impress potential buyers.

1.) De-Clutter

Storage is something every buyer is looking for and can never have enough of. Pretend like you’re moving out, pack up all your knickknacks, anything that is sitting on top of a counter top, tables or dressers.

Anything that you haven’t used in at least a year? That goes, too. Give away what you can, throw away as much as possible of what remains, and then pack the rest to get it ready to move. Take half the stuff out of your closets then neatly organize what’s left in there. Buyers will snoop, so be sure to keep all your closets and cabinets clean and tidy.

2.) De-Personalize

One of the most important things to do when selling your house is to de-personalize it. The more personal items in your house, the less potential buyers can imagine themselves living there. This includes family photos, memorabilia collections and personal keepsakes. Pack them up and put them in storage.

Consider hiring a professional home stager to maximize the full potential of your home. Staging simply means arranging your furniture to best showcase the floor plan and maximize the use of space. If you move out before you sell, a stager can bring in furniture pieces and accessories to compliment the floor plan and style of your home.

3.) Lighten It Up

Maximize the light in your home. After location, good light is the one thing that every buyer cites that they want in a home. Take down the heavy drapes, clean the windows, change the lampshades, increase the wattage of your light bulbs and cut the bushes outside to let the sunshine in. If you have dark walls in your home, you may consider painting them a neutral color to be more appealing to wider range of buyers. Do what you have to do make your house bright and cheery – it will make it more marketable.

4.) Spruce up the Exterior

Landscaping can go a long way & buyers will be critiquing your home from the moment they pull into your driveway. Before photos are taken, spend the time to remove fallen tree branches, pull weeds, finish painting the fence and fix those pesky driveway cracks. Plant some inexpensive shrubs and colorful flowers, then straighten out the mailbox to maximize curb-appeal.

5.) Professional Photography

When your home goes live on the market, it is likely the first place people are going to see it is on the internet. Your true first impression is going to come from the photos. These photos are what makes the buyer call their agent to schedule a showing. With inadequate photos, the right buyer may overlook your home because they aren’t showing a true representation. Hiring a professional for this is a small monetary expense and well worth the investment.

Once your home is listed…

Be ready for Showings Your house needs to be “show-ready” at all times – you never know when the right buyer is going to walk through the door. If you’re going to stay living in your home until it sells, you have to be available whenever buyers want to come see your place and it needs to be in tip-top shape. This means, don’t leave dishes in the sink, keep the dishwasher cleaned out, the bathrooms sparkling, the beds made and make sure there are no dust bunnies in the corners. It’s a little inconvenient, but it will get your house sold.

Utility Bills & Manuals Serious buyers will want to know how much monthly utilities will cost them– have these numbers handy to give to your Realtor, so when a buyer asks, you’re not scrambling for the info.

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