Before selling your house, it’s crucial to make it look appealing to increase its value. Nobody wants to buy an old or lackluster house. When you take out time to renovate the home, making it look new and shiny again, people will want to pay for it without hesitation.
You can do lots of work on your house before selling to give it a new vibe. You can repaint the house, repair or install new hardware, declutter, clean the house, do a smell test, etc.
Have a home selling checklist, so you don’t forget the essential things you need to do. Here are some things to include in the checklist:
1. Free up space
The first thing to add to your home-selling checklist is decluttering. Your house should be free for prospective buyers to move around when taking a look at the home. They shouldn’t be bumping into things as this could be annoying and register a negative perception about the house in their mind.
If you have a garage or attic, start moving the items that are cluttering your home. This could be the suitcases of old clothes, the old furniture that you’ve been promising to refurnish, the ancient lampstand, etc.
Check for places that are known to accommodate clutters such as the tables, counter, cupboards, drawers, hallway, storeroom, closets, etc., and declutter.
One benefit of decluttering is that your house will look bigger and have a calming effect on the buyer but the opposite will make the house look smaller. They might think it’s not for them or it’s overpriced. In order words, cluttering can even reduce the value of your home.
Some people might even think the house is unkempt, and it may take a long time to clean it up; why don’t they look elsewhere? You’ll end up losing a prospect. Prevent this from happening by freeing up space in the house.
If you don’t have a place to keep the extra clutter, you can consider selling it, donating, or even throw it out. Yes, there are some things you need to throw away because they’ve served their usefulness.
If you think about it, you’re the one benefitting because your house will look appealing making it more valuable. You won’t have many things to move when it’s time to give the keys to the new owner.
2. Repaint the house
Before selling your house, it’s advisable to repaint it with a neutral color as some buyers might not like the current one on the wall. Most people are attracted to neutral colors. You can also envision what other colors you’ll want to go with if the wall has a neutral color.
Using a loud color might be an instant turnoff for the prospective buyer but painting the walls will increase the house’s value.
3. Fix the house
Your home may not be new, but it should not look like where the Frankensteins. If there are scuff marks on the wall, look for a way to erase them. If holes are in the wall, you need to patch them.
Also, whatever repairs or renovations you need to do, please do it. Think about fixing the broken pipes, installing new faucets, cabinet handles, replacing the door handles or curtain rod, etc.
Is the flooring is outdated? Consider changing it. You can find affordable and durable hardwood to replace the flooring in your living room, dining, and kitchen. Use ceramic or vinyl tiles in the bathroom walls.
Check the ceilings and walls for cracks. If they indicate a foundation problem, fix it up. If not, get a professional to repair the damages. No prospect will see broken and outdated fixtures in the house and still want to buy the house, except they are desperate.
Most people want to buy a house and move in without having to fix anything. So, ensure you are doing the right things to impress them by fixing up your home before inviting them to check.
4. Switch up your furniture
Ensure the furniture in each room of your house are the perfect size. You don’t want a piece of big furniture that will make the room look small. And you don’t want a piece of small furniture that will make the room look cold and empty.
You want to give a vibe that someone is living in the house but is also classy enough not to clutter.
You can decide to get new furniture to stage your home and make it more appealing. If you can’t afford the new ones, consider renting.
Use throw pillows to make the house a bit exciting and set the furniture in the living room so that people can sit and converse without screaming.
5. Use some lighting
If your home allows natural light, take advantage of it. Keep the curtain and blinds open to let the light inside the house.
You can also use light fixtures and bulbs to add to the lighting of the house. If the light fixtures you have are old, get new ones. But if they are still new and not broken, clean and use them.
Be sure to use the appropriate lighting for each room.
Some rooms might require low lighting, others directional lighting. You can decide which fits the rooms in your house better.
Good lighting will make the rooms look brighter, and you can also use it to draw the prospect’s attention to the best places in your home.
6. Don’t forget the exterior
To sell your home faster, it needs to have what’s known as the club appeal. This means the entryway and exterior of your house should look lit. Because the truth is, people will not stop judging the book by the cover.
The exterior of your house needs to look super inviting to compel prospective buyers to take a step inside.
So, before selling your house, mow your lawns, prune the trees, weed, arrange green flower pots, and even repaint your front door. Remember to wipe the windows.
7. Clean the house
After staging, you want to clean the house from all the dust and germs. Take note of the flooring of the house. Is the carpet or rug dirty? Clean it.
Every corner in the house should be scrubbed clean. You don’t want the prospect’s eyes to catch a spider hurrying up the wall. Clean the appliances and hard surfaces. Let everywhere sparkle and smell fresh.
It would be best if you got someone, probably a friend, to check if the house is smelling nice as you must have grown accustomed to the smell.
Conclusion
No one said selling your house would be easy. But the effort you put in making your home look presentable will determine the number of people that will stop by and submit a purchase offer after taking a tour around the house. The more people who are willing to buy, the higher you can increase your home price.
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