Spring is in the air, which also means it’s generally the best time to sell your home. Inventory generally peaks during the spring due to the increased buyer pool in the coming months. If you want to maximize your chances of selling your home for the highest dollar and quickest time frame, you’ll want to do a little preparation before you list. A few minor touch ups can go a long way with getting buyers looking at your home.
Hiring an experienced and reputable agent is one of the best ways to prepare your home to sell. During a listing consultation with Own Boise, we will tour the home, looking through the eyes of the buyer, to offer advice on what needs repairs before we list your home. Below you will find our top ten tips on getting your home ready to sell in the spring.
1. Depersonalize and Declutter Your Home.
Buyers have a hard time seeing themselves living in a home when distractions of personal touches are present in the home. Pack up personal photographs, excessive furniture, and decorations, so potential buyers can envision their own belongings hung on the walls and decorated throughout the home.
2. Consider Renting a Short-Term Storage Unit.
As the phrase goes, less is more. Almost every home shows better with less furniture and minimal knick knacks. Remove items that block walkways or crowd the space. Packing up these extra items will allow your home to look bigger and more move-in ready. Plus, it will save you time once you move.
3. Remove or Replace Favorite Items
If you want to take certain fixtures, built-in appliances, or mounted furniture, now is the time to store it away for your future home. Everything is negotiable in a real estate transaction and these items can be included! If a buyer never sees certain items, he or she will never attempt to ask for it in the offer. However, if the buyer sees something he or she loves, they could get upset you say no, which could ruin the deal.
4. Clean, Clean, Clean!
Nothing is better than walking into a clean, fresh smelling house. When a buyer comes to tour your property, they will see how well you have maintained the home. Wash the windows inside and out, clean all light fixtures, and tidy up daily. Pay special attention to the bathrooms and kitchen. Hang up fresh towels, close the toilet lid, wipe down countertops, and clean the fridge. Finally, shampoo the carpets and air out musty areas to remove any lingering odors. Unpleasant smells can be detrimental to the sale of a home. Buyers may smell something, not understand the extent of the smell, worry about how much it will cost to eliminate, and ultimately, find a different home to purchase.
5. Make Minor Repairs
Even in a seller’s market, a home will sell quicker and for more money when it is move-in ready. Consider painting walls and ceilings a neutral tone, especially if they are a bright color. Repair all plumbing leaks, including faucets and drain traps, even if they are minor. It will save you potential headaches in the long run. Finally, replace all burnout lightbulbs to ensure your home is nice and bright for touring.
6. Brighten Up Your Space
Once you replace all burnout lightbulbs, open up curtains and blinds to let light flood into each room. Houses show better when they are well lit. Darkness can make a home feel small, uninviting and dirty, even when it isn’t. Worse, a potential buyer may wonder what flaws are lurking in the shadows and cautious of purchasing your home.
7. Increase Your Curb Appeal
A potential sale is ruined if a potential buyer won’t even get out of his or her agent’s car to tour your home. Make the exterior of your home look inviting by keeping the grass freshly cut, removing all yard clutter, planting fresh flowers, and applying fresh mulch to garden beds. It’s also a good idea to apply fresh paint to wooden fences, the front door, and the home’s exterior if it is starting to look drab.
8. Organize Your Closets and Cabinets
Storage space is a huge selling point, and if your closets are stuffed to the brim, buyers will think you don’t have enough of it. This goes for cabinets, too. Organize spice cabinets, neatly stack dishes, hang shirts in the same direction, fold and organize towels, and line up shoes in the same direction. When your belongings are organized, it shows the buyer you have taken good care of your home.
9. Give Each Room a Purpose
Remember that spare guest room/office/gym in your home? Give it a special purpose, so your buyers can envision using it instead of it being a dumping ground for their extra belongings. Pick a use for the room and eliminate everything else that doesn’t belong.
10. Bring Nature Indoors
Potted plants or fresh bouquet of flowers can help brighten up a space, fill in empty corners, and highlight special features of the home. Just make sure the plants are in good health and pest free!