When you put your house on the market to be sold, you want it to happen as fast as possible. However, depending on market conditions at that moment, that may or may not happen. In fact, many things go into ensuring one home will sell much faster than other similar properties. If you want a prospective buyer to love your home the moment they walk through the door, take these steps immediately.
Get Rid of the Clutter
If you want a prospective buyer to walk through your door and then walk right back out to the next house on their list, let them find lots of clutter throughout your house. Rather than have this happen and see your homestay on the market for months, declutter your home before you start welcoming buyers to your property. To do so, you can donate items to charities, rent a self-storage unit, or haul off some stuff to the junkyard.
Make Minor Repairs
To make your house attractive to buyers, take care of a few minor repairs before you start scheduling appointments with those who want to view your home. This can include installing new fixtures on sinks, replacing hinges on cabinets, installing new doorknobs, and maybe installing a new light fixture or two here and there. The condition of your home speaks volumes to potential buyers either making them feel like the home has been well maintained or that it has issues of repair and they should proceed with caution.
Stage Your Home
When working with your REALTOR, they should have a Pro-Stager on their team who can show you how to stage your home so that a buyer can walk in and immediately picture themselves living there. The Pro-Stager will understand how best to present your home to buyers and will provide objective and honest information. Your listing agent may not want to share info because they are afraid of possibly offending you – and they are tied to the sale. Having an objective, 3rd party assessment by a trained, Pro-Stager makes all the difference. A Pro-Stager will advise you room by room on what you need to put away, pack, remove, rearrange, clean, etc. and by taking these steps, you let the buyer’s focus on the interior features inside, imagining it as their next home versus being distracted by all your things. while walking through your home, increasing the odds they will like what they see.
Take Care of Pet Issues
Finally, people who will be looking at your home may either love animals or want little to do with them. However, if you have pets in your home, it’s best if you make sure they are not around when showing your property. In most cases, a friend or family member will be happy to be a pet-sitter for a few hours. Also, prior to showing your home to buyers, have a deep cleaning done to eliminate pet odors and stains.
While it will take some of your time and money to take care of these things, it will be well worth it when a buyer tours your home and then makes you an offer you can’t refuse.
Article by Ani O. – Freelance writer and web enthusiast