It’s that time again — time to drag out the boxes, magic markers and duct tape and get ready to move. Before you bribe all your friends with pizza and beer to help you lug boxes, maybe you can bribe some of them to help you with these steps to get your home ready to go on the market.
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1. Get your home inspected
Some real estate agents might advise against it, but getting an inspection as you start moving toward selling your home can help you find out about issue before you get deep into the selling process. This can give you time to shop around and get the best price, rather than having to rush with an inflated price later on.
2. Find your paperwork
Before you start all the cleanup and landscaping, it’s a good idea to find all the paperwork you’ll need to show a prospective buyer. Operating manuals and warranties for appliances and HVAC system are good to have, as are notes about the paint color you used on the walls. You can also pull out your old utility bills to give potential buyers a sense of the operating costs.
3. Straighten the mailbox
A basic tenet of home sales is curb appeal, and for many people curb appeal starts at the mailbox. Maybe someone clipped it with a side window, or it fell victim to some neighborhood mailbox baseball. Replace it – maybe even upgrade it with a brick exterior – and make the first impression of your house a good one.
4. Landscape
Want the fastest, easiest way to freshen up your landscaping? New mulch. It’s quick, easy, and gives your home an instant look like someone’s been caring for it religiously. Add some colorful flowers that will pop from the darker mulch background. Make sure to trim the bushes, trees and other plants to make them look tidy.
5. Declutter
That old end table with horse legs? The lamp you won at a county fair? That couch which is generously called a veteran of a dozen NFL seasons? It is time (and past time in some cases) to get rid of those castoff pick-me-ups and open up the space in your house. If you’re most people, those closets are full and the garage is stuffed. Ideally, rooms should look open and kind of empty – marketers call that “spacious.”
6. Get a storage unit
In the spirit of decluttering, getting a storage unit can help open up that oh-so-precious space that realtors will sell your house on. Open homes show better because buyers can easily see where their stuff would go. Rent the storage unit, and pack all the stuff you are most likely to not need – memorabilia, photos, off-season clothes, small furniture. The more you store, the more open your house is, and generally the quicker it will sell.
7. Clean
The fun stuff. You know it has to be done, so just buckle down and do it. Or, at least try to take the edge off, then hire a reputable firm to come in and give your house the full-scrubdown. The cost may be less painful than trying to get behind the stove and clean out the….what IS that nasty goop?
8. Hide the pets
While your fuzzy babies are one of the highlights of your life, they are lowlights in the mind of real estate agents. If new buyers don’t see your pets, they can’t ask how you got all the hair out of the HVAC system or cleaned the pet dander out of the carpet. Because you did those things, right? Make sure litter boxes are scooped and animals are either crated or out of the home when prospective buyers come in.
9. Shampoo or replace the carpets
There’s nothing like carpet…to show damage and wear. If your carpets aren’t stained and are relatively new, you can get away with a deep clean with a professional service. But carpets hold a lot of dirt and odor – especially from pets – and it is important they look and smell clean before showings.
10. Fix and replace
While you might have an appreciation for the old-school fixtures your house came with, most buyers will probably turn up their noses. Replace brass door handles and chandeliers with brushed nickel, or splurge on designer door handles if they fit your home’s style. Replace outdated light switch covers. Try to identify fixtures that reveal the era your home was built in and replace them.
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