More than 20 percent of Americans say they’re moving in 2021. You may be one of them—and, if so, you have a big task on your hands. You have to sell your current house.
As you prepare for the sale process, there’s a lot you need to do. Namely, there are ways to prepare your home so that it impresses potential buyers and, ultimately, inspires at least one of them to put in an offer.
Here’s your quick guide to selling your house as quickly—and for as much money—as you envision.
1. De-Clutter
When potential buyers come to visit your home, they want to know that the space will work for them. Cluttered storage spaces won’t give them that impression. Instead, they’ll see that you’re bursting at the seams—and they’ll imagine themselves doing the same if they move in.
So, start your home-prep process by de-cluttering your home. Go room by room, discarding trash first. Then, sort your gently used belongings and decide if you’ll donate them or sell them.
Once you finish with this task, it’s time to reorganize. Make sure your closets, cabinets, and other important storage spaces look useful, but not overstuffed. That way, your potential buyers will only see utility—they won’t wonder if they’ll have enough room for all of their stuff, too.
2. Remove Your Personal Effects
On that note, you want potential buyers to come in and envision themselves living in your space. If it’s filled with your personal mementos and pieces that suit your unique design style, well, they will have a hard time doing so.
Another major step in staging your home is removing your personal touches. Take down family photos from the walls and paint over any walls that you’ve covered in a bright color. Instead, make everything neutral—a blank canvas for potential buyers to decorate in their minds.
3. Make Minor Repairs
When selling your home, you shouldn’t worry about making major renovations. Instead, make the most important changes. Apart from de-cluttering and neutralizing your space, you should fix minor issues that could ruin a sale.
For instance, swap out broken tiles on your floors or on your countertops. Make sure all of your overhead lights have working bulbs. And, as we said, re-paint walls so that they are a neutral tone.
You must take on these projects because potential buyers will see these small issues as projects they have to complete when they move in. And, if there are a lot of minor repairs, that list can start to get long—too long for them to want to move into your home anymore.
4. Do a Deep Clean
Once you’ve finished all of these steps, finish up by doing a deep clean of your house. You might want to bring a professional cleaning crew in to do the job.
Either way, scour your home so that it sparkles for potential buyers. It’s the final cosmetic touch to make to impress them—no need for them to do the deep clean when they move in.
Get Ready For the Sale Process
Now that you take all of these steps to prepare your home, you’re ready for selling your home—and for the sale process to begin. So, get started today, and remember that these tasks will only make things move faster down the line. And you’ll be able to move onto your new abode quickly, too.
Don’t forget to check back with us for more property-related advice.