How to Prepare Your Home to Sell

So you are ready to list your home for sale! Great, now what?

Well, you need to make sure your home shows well to potential buyers. If someone comes to see your listing, you want to make sure they get the best first impression of your home. 

If a prospective buyer sees work that needs to be done, or things that are in need of repair, this will deter them from buying your home, or it will drive the sales price down. 

With a few simple fixes around the house, you can make sure your home is staged and ready to SELL!

Exterior: (aka. Curb Appeal)

1. The first impression a buyer will get of your home is from the outside!  Curb appeal is EVERYTHNG!  
2. Make sure your yard is tidy. The lawn should be mowed and edged. Any grass cuttings should be cleaned up from walkways or garden beds. If you don’t have the time to keep the lawn mowed and edged, now is the time when hiring a service would benefit you.  Spending the little extra for a lawn service will help your home sell faster and for a higher price! PLUS you won’t have to worry about making sure it is done before a showing or open house. 
3. Trim all the trees, bushes and shrubs on your property.  If you don't have the epuipment to reach some of the trees, you can always rent it from Home Depot or Lowes. Otherwise, ask your landscaping company if they can clean it up for you. 
4. Consider planting some low maintenance flowers or decorative palms in pots. You can place these on your front steps or on any outdoor living areas. It's also a great way to provide some privacy to any patios or balconys that may be overlooking the neighbors yards. 
5. Have your driveway and sidewalks powerwashed. Living in Florida we get mold on your walkways that needs to be cleaned every year. Make sure to have all the pavers or concrete powerwashed to give it a fresh clean look and keep them swept up from any leaves or debris. 
6. Wash your windows. If you don't have the time to do this, consider hiring a cleaning company to come and wash all of your exterior windows. Make sure to repair and broken screens or cracked glass as well. 
7. Have your roof and gutters cleaned off from any debris. A clogged gutter or downspout can lead to water damange in your roof. This is any easy item to maintain and keep clean. 
8. How is the exterior of your house? Does it need to be freshened up? A fresh coat of paint might be a good idea if your home has not been painted in the last 5 years. Make sure to check with your HOA for rules on paint colors. If your home isn't in need of paint try powerwashing your house to clean it up and make it shine. 
9. Is your front door inviting? Does the entrance to your home make a good impression? If your door has seen better days, consider replacing it, or giving it a fresh coat of paint to invite potential buyers inside. Make sure your door knobs are cleaned from any corrosion. Living in Florida, especially if you are near the water can be hard on metal around your home. 
10. Do you have lighting around your house? Clean up or replace any old light fixtures, sconces, light posts or other landscape lighting to enhance the look of your homes exterior.
11. Keep Garage Door closed at all times. Many people use their garage for storage, laundry, etc. It usually isn't the most beautiful room in the house. So if your home is listed for sale, keeping the garage door shut wiill help the curb appeal of your home and hide any clutter from people driving by.
12. If your garage is FULL of stuff, consider getting a storage unit or PODS to store the items in so buyers can see how big your garage is instead of feeling like they are on an episode of hoarders!

Interior: (Creating an inviting space)

1. DE-PERSONALIZE. Remove any family photos, personal items, trophies, handmade crafts, kids photos from the fridge. Anything that identifies the home as YOURS. You want to have potential buyers be able to walk in and invision themselves living in the house, they don't want to see your family. 
2. DE-CLUTTER. This is the time to do some Spring Cleaning, or Fall Cleaning, or whatever time of year it is. You're going to be moving anyways, so there's no better time to de-clutter your home. Go around each room in the house and remove any items that are sitting out or that do not belong. Consider donating, recycling or throwing away as much as you can. This will make your home feel bigger. Even go through your closests and try to get rid of as much as possible that you don't want to take with you. It will feel good to get rid of unused items, will make your home feel much bigger, and will make your move easier! 
3. Make sure dishes are put away and not dirty in the sink, Laundry should be folded and put away and not stinking up the laundry room. 
4. Have your carpets cleaned. If your carpets are old and dingy, replace them. It is an inexpensive way to add value to your home. Make sure to choose a neutral color. You can rent a carpet cleaner or have them professionally cleaned. 
5. Clean, repair or replace any other flooring. Do you have cracked floor tiles? What about scratched up hardwood, laminate or maybe peeling vinyl? Now is the time to invest into your home to get the most money out of selling. Vinyl plank flooring is an easy and inexpensive way to redo your flooring. It can go over any existing level floor (tile, concrete, linoleum, etc) and it is water resistant, so easy to keep clean. 
6. Repair or paint and walls or ceilings. Fill any nail holes and patch any cracks in your walls. If you need a fresh coat of paint, go with a white or a light grey or other light neurtral color. Keep it simple and bright so potential buyers have a blank canvas to decorate with. Avoid any accent walls with bold colors, have them repainted. Remove any old wallpaper borders as well. 
7. Clean up your doors and windows. Spray some lubricant in the tracks to make sure nothing sticks or squeeks when opened. Make sure any sliding glass doors open easily.
8. Make any other repairs necessary. Consider updating your light fixtures if they are old and outdated. Clean simple light fixtures make a room feel brighter and modern. Fix and broken cabinet doors or missing knob, shelves etc throughout the house. 
9. If you have a shower curtain in your bathroom, make sure to replace it with a fresh bright white curtain. Keep your bathroom tidy and try not to leave too many toiletries or makeup laying out on the counters and shelves. 
10. Add some fresh linens throughout the house. If your bedrooms have old dingy comofrters, consider getting some fresh white duvets to cover them and give your bedrooms a resort like look.
11. Clean or remove any old furniture from your living spaces. If you have BIG bulky items such as an old entertainment center or hutch, try to remove them from the home to make it feel larger. Get a few new throw pillows for the living room to brighten up the furniture, or a throw blanket to add some texture to the space and have it feel warm and cozy. 
12. Add some indoor plants.  Plants make a room feel warm and invting. Go to your local greenhouse and ask them for easy to care for houseplants. If you dont' have a green thumb, consider getting some fake plants from the store. Bamboo, orchids or other exotic modern plants are a great way to brighten up the space. 

So you've accomplished everything above, now it's time for an Open House, you're not done yet!

1. Pets are a NO GO for OPEN HOUSES. Hire a pet sitter, bring the pets to a boarding place or ask a family friend or neighbor if they can keep the pets in their house for a couple of hours. Buyer may be afraid of pets, or even allergic, so you want to make sure they get the opportunity to see the ENTIRE house without being distracted by pets. 
2. Buy some freshly cut flowers in a vase. Put some in your kitchen, dining room, or even foyer and master bedroom. 
3. Make sure all the rooms smell good. Walk outside and take a few deep breaths of fresh air, then walk back insde your home and determine what it smells like. Does it smell fresh and clean? Or do you have odors from food and pets lingering in your house? If you can't tell, ask a friend of family member to come over and ask their opinion on how your home smells. This may seem silly, but a home with a musty odor, or pet odor will make a buyer want to leave immediately! 
4. Use an essential oil diffuser, bake fresh cookies, or add a cinnamon stick to water with a few drops of lemon and simmer on low. Find someway to freshen the smell of your home without harsh chemicals that might bother potential buyers and will be obvious that you are covering up a bad odor. 
5. Sweep up floors to make sure no dirt is laying around. Vaccuum any rugs or carpets. I know people will be walking through your space and it will get dirty again, but you want to make a good impression. 
6. Check all surfaces for any clutter, such as car keys, mail or letters, magazines, etc. Clean all this up and tidy up all the rooms. 
7. Make the home BRIGHT! Open up all the blinds, curtains, turn on lamps and lighting in the home to make it feel as bright and light as possible .
8. Add freshly folded towels to the bathrooms and wipe up your countertops of any watermarks. Think about how a hotel looks when you walk into the bathroom, that should be your goal. 
9. Turn off TVs and stash away any small electronics or laptops in a secure location. 
10. Turn on some inviting music. Something calm, inviting, maybe even beach or island vibes depending on your location. Classical music, jazz, slow reggae, whatever you want to have as the vibe in your home. 
11. You want to transform your home into an inviting warm retreat. Buyers should walk in and feel like they are in a hotel or spa and want to move right in!
12. If you are not using an agent to sell your home make sure to use caution when hosting an Open House. You will have strangers in your home that you have no idea who they are. Try to have a sign up sheet by the front door and make sure to keep your cell phone on you at all times. It is not a good idea to host an Open House alone, you should also not have children present. Make sure to only host during the day and never turn your back on the buyers. Always have the buyer enter a room first so the exit is never blocked by you. 

These lists may seem like ALOT of work, however if you take it one step at a time you can get your home ready to sell in a couple of weeks. The more prepared you are for buyers the FASTER your home will sell and the HIGHER the sales price!

I offer free evaluations on the condition of your home. If you are considering selling and not sure about the condition of your house, I can walk you through the homes exteriour and interior and give you my opinion on what you need to do to make sure you home sells fast!