The Best Ways To Prepare Your House For The Real Estate Market

Selling your home is never as easy as it might seem. No matter how much you love your home, you have to accept that there’s a strong inventory of homes on the market and, as a result, homebuyers can afford to be picky. They will only be looking for the best, meaning a home sale can easily slip through your fingers if you’re not careful. Use our tips on the best way to prepare your house for the real estate market.

 First impressions count: Curb appeal is one of the most important factors, making it crucial for a good first impression. Make sure your grass is cut and in immaculate condition, prune your bushes and make sure your yard has been swept and cleared of weeds.

When looking at the exterior of the house, ask yourself these questions:

• When was the last time I cut the grass?
• Have I ever cleaned those gutters out?
• Could those window frames use some fresh paint?
• Can people see my house number behind that overgrown shrub?
• How bad are those weeds?

Put yourself in the mind of a buyer.

Make the entrance inviting: That deals with the wider view, but what about the first impressions as someone comes to your door? A fresh coat of paint on the front door will make it stand out. Look for a color that will contrast with the rest of the home. If your door numbers or name is faded, replace it. Buy a welcome mat too, let the buyer know they are invited in.

Clean clean clean: Everywhere must be clean. Dust and polish all surfaces and appliances, Hoover and give the windows a thorough wash.  If you don’t have the time to do this, consider hiring a cleaning service to give your house a good once-over in preparation for viewings.

Pay attention to bad odors: If you have viewings booked in don’t cook food such as bacon or fish on the day. Although it tastes great, the smell will linger and it won’t be nice for anyone coming round. You might want to take care with pets too.

Repainting: If you have brightly colored walls in your home then, as much as you love it, someone else may not and could turn potential buyers off. Repaint your rooms in neutral tones such as white or tan and this way the buyer can focus on the whole room and not just the color of the walls.

Let there be light: Open up the windows and let in natural light. There are many ways to you can maximize light into a house – whether it’s natural or otherwise:

• Replace dim light bulbs with higher wattage alternatives
• Don’t just pull open the curtains – pull them down altogether
• In particularly dark rooms, install some extra light fixtures
• Repaint darker rooms with light-colored and light-reflecting paint
• Prune trees or vines that are casting shadows inside the house

Tackle that to-do list: You know all of those little things you have been meaning to do but never got round to doing? Get them done before you put your home on the market. Things such as revamping your patio, fixing a leaky tap or cleaning the gutters can all make a massive difference and pay dividends in the eventual sale.

Give each room a purpose: If you’ve got a spare room or space that you don’t use, fill it. If it looks like a dumping ground, it won’t help you to sell at all. So pick a use for it, make it look like an office or a basic guest room.

Depersonalize: Consider taking down personal items such as photos or cute pictures that been drawn for you and stuck on the fridge. Buyers want to imagine the life they can have in this house not the life you had. Don’t allow any clutter to be seen.

Photo by Ienetstan | Shutterstock