Home Sellers: How to Get Your House Ready for the Real Estate Market
Getting your home ready to sell can feel like a roller coaster ride — it makes you excited, but
also maybe a little nauseous. It’s a big transition for you and your family, and there are millions
of things that can go wrong. You can retake some of the control by doing what you can to
ensure your house sells quickly and for the best price possible. Here is how!
Change Your Mindset
As sad as it sounds, you have to stop looking at your home as your home. Disassociating yourself from the house gives you the opportunity to step back and really look at the property with an objective eye. All those little imperfections you ignored because they were part of what made the house a home can suddenly come into the light so you can correct them and help give it that illustrious model home look that buyers want to see. A great way to facilitate disassociation from the house is also one of the keys of home staging — depersonalization. Depersonalize the house by packing up all the accessories and details that
reflect you and your life. Box up kids’ artwork, throw away old wedding invitations, and store your favorite mementos in a safe place. Work through each room depersonalizing and
decluttering so you can truly separate your heart from the home.
Know Your Worth
Knowing how much your house is worth versus what other places in the area sell for can give
you a good idea on what needs to be done in order to increase its value to the maximum. Start
out using an online tool to determine your home’s worth based on location to get a general idea.
You can consult with your real estate agent to find out how much they think you can eventually
ask for it as well. A realtor is also helpful when it comes to determining what updates are worth
the investment before it’s time to put your house on the market.
Make Essential Upgrades
A house without a little wear and tear isn’t a home at all, but potential buyers don’t want to buy
the evidence that someone else use to live there. They want to make their own wear and tear
(and the memories that go with it) themselves. Making essential upgrades and fixing things that
need repair will ensure you get plenty of interest in the property as well as the highest bids.
Here are some things to consider from your real estate broker Zane Peterson:
● A fresh coat of gray paint is a great way to give the whole place that new-house-smell.
Plus, it makes every room look new again. Either hire a painter or make room in your
schedule to DIY — especially if any of them are bold or unique colors.
● A deep clean is essential. If you can’t hire a team of professionals to give your home the
detailing it needs, be sure to go over this checklist to ensure you can do it all yourself.
Remember: when we say everything needs to be cleaned, we mean everything. Even
your windows needs a good washing — both inside and out!
● Old and worn-out flooring is an eyesore. Replace what you can and replace it with
something that is low maintenance and eco-friendly to attract younger homebuyers. If
your house has carpet, you may opt to rip it up and expose what’s underneath as hard
surface floors are more desirable to modern homebuyers.
● The curb appeal of the house is the first impression that draws buyers inside to find out
what more it offers. Improve your curb appeal by replacing the front door or painting it a
fresh color, add flowers to garden beds, maintain your trees and cut back perilous
branches, remove dead plants, and add a fresh layer of rubber mulch to flower beds and
around trees to give your front yard a cohesive look.
Ensure your home sells quickly and for top dollar by making sure it is ready for market. Change
your mindset to disassociate from your home and make depersonalization and decluttering
easier. Knowing your home’s value versus the value of other homes in the area can give you an
idea of what needs to be done to improve the house with things like new flooring, a fresh coat of
paint, and updates to the front yard.
Article provided by Natalie Jones from HomeownerBliss.info.