Selling a home can be stressful but taking the time to properly prepare your house before listing it can make a huge difference. Follow these nine tips to get your home looking its best before you put it on the market.
Deep Clean Everything
A thorough, deep clean throughout the entire house should be your first priority. Buyers will be inspecting everything closely, so every room needs to be cleaned from top to bottom.
- Clean all floors, carpets, walls, windows, baseboards, and ceilings to remove any dirt, grime, or stains. Consider hiring professional carpet and window cleaners if needed.
- Scrub the kitchen and bathrooms until they sparkle. Clean the oven, stove, cabinets, sinks, showers, tubs, and toilets spotlessly.
- Dust ceiling fans, sconces, and light fixtures to remove dust buildup. Wipe down all surfaces and vacuum upholstered furniture.
Consider hiring a professional cleaning service if you don’t have time to do a thorough clean from top to bottom. This is especially important if you are selling a high-end property.
Declutter Each Room
The less clutter in a home, the roomier it will seem to potential buyers. Be ruthless about clearing out excess furniture, personal items, and knickknacks.
- Remove half the items from closets, cabinets, drawers, and shelves. Box and store items you rarely use but aren’t ready to part with yet.
- Consider placing frequently used items into storage like extra chairs, side tables, puzzles, books, blankets, etc.
- Hide away personal items like family photos, awards, sentimental objects, and your pet’s bowls and beds. You want buyers to imagine this as their own home, not yours.
Make Minor Repairs
Fix any minor issues like cracked floor tiles, holes in screens, squeaky hinges, dripping faucets, or damaged walls. Leaving flaws visible could cause buyers to wonder what other problems you might be hiding.
Update Paint and Finishes
A fresh coat of neutral interior paint can make your home feel clean and contemporary. If your walls already have neutral colors, you may just need to spot paint any scuffs or marks. Update any obviously outdated finishes like wood paneling. Busy or dated wallpaper can make a home seem outdated. Remove wallpaper in good condition and prepare the underlying walls properly for painting. For wallpaper that’s hard to remove, consider simply painting over it with primer and neutral paint.
Improve Curb Appeal
Your home’s exterior and landscaping should attract buyers even before they go inside. Clean up the yard, add flowers and mulch, trim bushes, and edge the grass around walkways. Power wash walkways, repaint faded doors or window trim, and upgrade exterior lighting fixtures if needed.
Stage Your Home
Home staging takes things further by styling each room with decorative items to help buyers picture living there. Follow staging tips like placing fresh flowers, scented candles, or baskets of decorative objects around the home. Make beds, hang fresh towels in bathrooms, put out decor items, light candles before showings, and leave kitchen appliances out to make your home feel warm and welcoming. Put out just a few staged personal photos so buyers can imagine their own photos there.
Update Hardware and Fixtures
Replacing dated hardware like cabinet knobs and drawer pulls is an easy upgrade. Swap out old lighting fixtures, switch plates, and bath hardware for newer, more modern pieces that give your home a fresh feel.
Preparing your home carefully before selling it will allow buyers to appreciate its full potential. Follow these home sale prep tips, and your house will sparkle from top to bottom. With a clean, decluttered, and well-maintained home, you can sell your house faster and for the best price.
