Real Estate Marketing & Beyond

5 Tips For Preparing A House For Sale

By Mike Wheatley | February 25, 2021

Are you in the process of selling your house? If the answer is yes, then, most likely, you know it involves significant work. When you list your home, it entails house viewings, appraisals, and client negotiations, aside from the fact that you also need to maintain the place's cleanliness. However, many are still wondering, if you’re selling the property, why even bother preparing it for sale? Well, for one, a welcoming and beautiful home will be more marketable.

Moreover, it could likewise translate to more buyer offers or a quicker sale transaction when you prep the place. To better grasp the issue, this article will cover tips for preparing your house for sale.

Why Prepare Your House For Sale?

Before immersing in the process of preparing your home, you must recognize first the reasons why you need to implement the steps. Here are some of them:

As the saying goes, “First impressions last.” This statement also works when selling your home. You need to prep your house to highlight the curb appeal of the place.
Also, you need to prepare your house so that your home is picture-ready. When you hire a real estate company or agents to handle your home's sale, it will require taking superior photos to make your property listing stand out.

Of course, there’ll be instances when you’ll doubt if you’re doing the right thing. In this case, you can consult accredited real estate companies or agents who are familiar with the process. However, if you need to sell your house fast, you can consult reputable professional home buyer companies that can give you an offer after several days.

Tips For Preparing Your House For Sale

Now that you’re aware of why it’s essential to prep your home for sale, you can begin with the necessary work. Of course, to keep things in focus, you need to plan and arrange the tasks you need to do.

Hence, devote a few weeks or more to this job, especially if there are sections that require repairs. And, to help you accomplish these tasks, below are a few pointers that can guide you.

Highlight The Space Surrounding The Front Door

When prospective clients arrive at your home, the first thing their eyes focus on is your entryway. Thus, see to it your home entrance delivers a positive impression. And, whether you’re hosting a group or private house demonstration, the front door space should be flawless.

For this reason, assess every portion outside your home. Begin from the sidewalk, then to the area leading to your front door. You may consider getting an asphalt sealcoating service to protect your sidewalk and/or driveway from getting easily damaged. Also, consider observing the following steps:

Wipe off cobwebs from your light sconces.
Suppose the color of your front door doesn’t suit your home. Then, repaint your door with a shade that will blend with your home design and style.
Also, if you have a door handle that’s beyond repair, consider installing new ones. Otherwise, make sure to polish and restore every visible hardware to its immaculate condition.
Place a new welcome rug at the door. Also, remember to select basic designs and refrain from choosing carpets with phrases such as ‘welcome to our home.’ This way, you can prevent your buyers from feeling like they’re visitors.

Remove Personal Items

Meanwhile, another step you can take to ensure your house is ready for home viewing is to remove your personal items. Hence, pack away clutter, family portraits, and all valuables that may hurt your chances of a potential sale. Remember, you want clients to view a clean and neutral environment where they can foresee a house filled with their furniture and photographs.

With regards to pieces of furniture, see to it you only leave muted items that will not create a distraction. It will be a challenge for prospective buyers to imagine their personal furnishings when there’s a vibrant yellow chair or a zebra sofa in the middle of your living room. Note that your goal is for buyers to visualize your house as their potential home effortlessly.

Organize Your Cabinets And Drawers

Likewise, to prevent awkward scenarios when clients start peering at your cabinets and drawers, make sure you organize everything. Take a look at some of these suggestions:

Remove all items in the refrigerator and sanitize thoroughly.
Arrange and fold all your clothes nicely. You can place extra clothes in a container or your car's back compartment if you don’t yet have a new place. See to it that you leave behind ample space in the closet to make the cabinet appear larger.
Moreover, to ensure the kitchen displays adequate space, remove all unnecessary kitchen accessories. These items include a paper towel dispenser, refrigerator art, kitchen appliances, and even phone chargers.

Repaint If Needed

Next, check every room inside the house and see if there are bright or brilliant colors covering your walls. Suppose you find some; consider repainting those walls with either an eggshell or white shade.

Also, check other sections such as baseboards and windowsills if they require touch-ups or new paint. Residential painting may open up many opportunities for your home.

Eliminate Foul Odors

Also, see to it your home smells fresh and clean. Avoid overwhelming scents from candles, air fresheners, pet odor, or even newly baked cookies. When a potential buyer enters your home, make sure they breathe in a clean and neutral scent.

Here are some ways to eliminate foul odors in your home:

Refrain from eating meals inside the house.
Take out shoes, gym bags, pets, and any other stuff that generates odors.
Mildly spritz a lemon-scented deodorizer in every room in the house and open the windows for roughly 30 minutes.
On the scheduled day of your home viewing, open the windows again for approximately 30 minutes to diffuse the smell.

Final Thoughts

Keep in mind that when you carefully prepare your house for sale, it increases your chance to sell your home at an optimum value and in a timely manner. And, if you’re having doubts about how to go on with the process, you can consult your local real estate agent or a professional real estate company. These experts can provide you a background of the current market and help you in the listing and selling process.