Preparing your home for sale is not always an easy or quick task, but the results can be well worth the effort by adding to your bottom line. To assess what must be done, tour your own home and be critical. Try to evaluate each room as if viewing the house for the first time and see what could possibly diminish the value of your home in a buyer’s eyes. You may want to ask a friend for help. Sometimes a new person will see things you have missed.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not easy to do. If it’s been more than five or ten years since you were a BUYER you naturally may not remember how critical you were when you were shopping for you home.
An easy thing to remember is this: You are selling a HOUSE, not a home. Your buyer is buying a house that will become THEIR home. You are not selling your home… I’m not trying to be insensitive, I’m trying you to help you gain the perspective you need to help you be more open to the fact that whoever buys your house may not live in it the same way you have.
Many homeowners find that they spend more time preparing to sell their home than they expect. Be sure to budget your time carefully so that you can meet any specific goals in selling your home. You can also prioritize your tasks based on these key takeaways:
- When preparing a home for sale, remember that buyers are looking for rooms that are as brightly lit, clean and as neutral as possible.
- The bathroom and kitchen are important rooms when showing a home. Clean or replace any dingy grout, apply fresh caulk, if needed, and make sure there is no visible rust or dirt on the fixtures.
- Part of staging a home is removing items that can give away any personal information. Remove diplomas, wedding and vacation photos, and any religious articles from walls and shelves. If a buyer forms an opinion about the seller, it may negatively affect their offer.
- Getting a home inspection before listing tells you exactly what is wrong and allows you to address the issues in your own time, at your own pace. It also eliminates any surprises during escrow.
For more valuable information about selling a home, visit the Weichert.com Research section at www.weichert.com/guides/.
One of the services I provide is a pre-listing walk through during which I make a list of what I recommend be done prior to listing your house. We talk about the extent to which any staging might be necessary and whether or not it’s a good idea to have a pre-listing home inspection. Feel free to call me at 908-432-0318 to discuss the process.
