Preparing Your Home to Go on the Market
Preparing your home for sale is not always an easy or quick task, but the results can be well worth the effort by adding to your bottom line. To assess what must be done, tour your own home and be critical. Try to evaluate each room as if viewing the house for the first time and see what could possibly diminish the value of your home in a buyer’s eyes. You may want to ask a friend for help. Sometimes a new person will see things you have missed.
Many homeowners find that they spend more time preparing to sell their home than they expect. Be sure to budget your time carefully so that you can meet any specific goals in selling your home. You can also prioritize your tasks based on these key takeaways:
- When preparing a home for sale, remember that buyers are looking for rooms that are as brightly lit, clean and as neutral as possible.
- The bathroom and kitchen are important rooms when showing a home. Clean or replace any dingy grout, apply fresh caulk, if needed, and make sure there is no visible rust or dirt on the fixtures.
- Part of staging a home is removing items that can give away any personal information. Remove diplomas, wedding and vacation photos, and any religious articles from walls and shelves. If a buyer forms an opinion about the seller, it may negatively affect their offer.
- Getting a home inspection before listing tells you exactly what is wrong and allows you to address the issues in your own time, at your own pace. It also eliminates any surprises during escrow.
For more valuable information about selling a home, visit the Weichert.com Research section at www.weichert.com/guides/.