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Selling Your Home: Where to Begin?
First Impressions – perception is everything!
Remember what first attracted you to your home? When deciding how best to present your home for sale, it is helpful to try to get back into that buyer’s frame of mind.
A well-presented house makes an outstanding first impression on potential buyers. An attractive property grabs their attention, creating excitement about discovering a house that looks and feels well taken care of. Because buyers perceive they’re in a tidy, functional home in which they’ll encounter fewer problems if they buy it, your house becomes more appealing and stands out from the competition. In other words, if we prepare your home correctly, you’ll save time selling it when it’s on the market.
A great first impression delivers a profound impact. It’s not just the way your house looks to potential buyers, but how it feels and smells to them, how their friends and family will react, and how they imagine it would be like to live there.
With simple improvements throughout your house, you can lock in the attention of potential buyers and help make them realize why your house is right for them.
Goal Setting
Keep a diary, and as you casually observe your home and yard, make a list of some chores for improvements that will give your property and house a facelift. Consider how your property appears through the eyes of others driving by or walking through your door. What will they like or dislike? What needs fixing, painting, cleaning? What can be improved? Whether you paint your house or fix up the yard, your efforts don’t need to be costly; even inexpensive improvements and minor repairs go a long ways towards attracting serious buyers.
Here are just some tips to help increase your home’s appeal, which will help sell it quickly at the best possible price:
Interior
Give it a thorough cleaning
Buyers expect a spotless house, inside and out – especially your windows and window sills. Wipe down: the walls and floors; tile and ceilings; cupboards and drawers; kitchen and bathrooms. Also, wash scuff marks from doors and entryways, and clean light fixtures and the fireplace. Don’t forget the laundry room, and to tidy up your clothes.
Cut the Clutter
People are turned off by rooms that look and feel cluttered. Keep in mind, potential buyers are buying your house (not your furniture) so help them picture themselves and their possessions in your home by making your rooms feel large, light, neutral, and airy. As you clean, consider packing away your personal items, such as pictures, valuables, and collectibles, and store or get rid of surplus books, magazines, videotapes, extra furniture, rugs, blankets, etc. Consider renting a storage unit to eliminate clutter in your garage and attic.
Although it’s hard to liquidate you possessions, cleaning and clearing out the clutter can really pay off in the end. Packing away your clutter also gets you started packing for your next move. Make your garage and basement as tidy as the rest of your house. Simple little tasks such as storing your tools and neatly rolling up your garden hose suggest that you take good care of your house. Don’t let anything detract from making your best first impression.
Closets
Closets are an important buying feature for many buyers. By storing clothing you won’t use soon, you’ll make closets look more spacious.
Paint
A new coat of paint brightens up your living space and makes it look fresh and new. To help make rooms look larger, choose light, neutral colors that will appeal to the most people possible, such as beige or white.
Carpet
Check its condition. If it’s worn, consider replacing it. It’s an easy and affordable way to help sell your home faster. Again, light, neutral colors, such as beige, are best. If you choose not to replace it, you can suggest to potential buyers that they could select new carpet and you’ll reduce your price; buyers like to hear they’re getting a deal. At the very least, have your carpet cleaned.
Renovations and Repairs
It’s best to avoid making major renovations which will don’t help increase your selling price. Make minor repairs to items such as leaky faucets, slow drains, torn screens, damaged gutters, loose doorknobs, and broken windows. Make sure repairs are well done; buyers won’t take you seriously if your home improvement efforts look unprofessional.
Moisture and Leaks
Water stains on ceilings or in the basement alert buyers to potential problems. Don’t try to cosmetically cover up stains caused by leaks. If you’ve fixed the water problem, repair the damage and disclose in writing to the buyer what repairs were made.
Exterior
Curb Appeal
The “Wow” factor (that first visual, high-impact impression your home makes on potential buyers) can transform a lookers into a buyers. To help judge your property’s curb appeal, drive through your neighbourhood and take notes on other properties. Then, re-approach your own house as if you were a potential buyer. How does it look? Does it “wow” you? Will its curb appeal attract buyers? Some improvements could be trimming trees, planting shrubs, or painting gutters. It’s the little things that add a up and convey that you’ve cared for your home – and this is your opportunity to sell that important message to buyers who are shopping from the street, simply cruising neighbourhoods and browsing houses for sale. To get shoppers through your door, help make your property look like someone’s dream home.
Paint/Stain
If it’s peeling and you can’t remember when it was last painted, your house needs some attention. The same idea goes for stain that is significantly faded. A newly painted or stained exterior will help sell your house faster. Whether you do it yourself or hire someone, you’ll also increase your home’s value.
In the Yard
Grab people’s attention by enhancing your yard and landscaping. If your house looks inviting and well-maintained from the street, people will imagine that it’s attractive on the inside, too.
- Prune bushes and hedges, trim trees.
- Keep your lawn looking healthy and green by mowing it often, fertilizing it, and keeping it edged and trimmed.
- Clean up and dispose of pet mess.
- Weed your gardens; add fertilizer and mulch and plant colorful flowers.
- In winter, keep your driveway and sidewalks shoveled, de-iced, and well-lit.
- Stack firewood, clean out birdbaths, repair and paint fences.
The Front Door
An attractive entry catches a buyer’s eye and says, “Welcome,” so highlight this area of your house with decorative touches, such as a wreath on the door or new shrubs and flowers around the steps. For an even grander entry, clean and paint your front door, or replace it with a new one for a few hundred dollars. Don’t forget to fix and polish doorknobs, repair torn screens, and then put out that new welcome mat.
Cleaning and Maintenance Checklist:
- Windows, sills, and screens
- Walls and floor
- Tile
- Ceilings
- Cupboards and drawers
- Kitchen
- Bathrooms
- Light fixtures
- Ceiling fans
- Carpet and rugs
- Mirrors
- Garage
- Attic
- Basement
- Laundry room
- Yard
- Gutters
- Replace furnace filter
- Dust furniture, TV and computer screens
- Closets
- Remove clutter
- Pack personal items
Repair
- Leaky faucets and plumbing
- Torn screens
- Slow drains
- Gutters
- Loose doorknobs
- Deck boards
- Broken windows
- Electrical fixtures
- Water stain damage
- Broken appliances
- Damaged walls and ceilings
- Worn carpet and rugs
- Damaged sidewalks and steps
Improvements
- Stain or paint deck
- Store tools
- Roll up garden hose
- Paint or stain exterior
- Prune bushes and hedges
- Trim trees
- Mow lawn, fertilize, edge, and trim
- Weed gardens, plant flowers
- Shovel driveways, de-ice
- Stack firewood
- Clean out birdbaths
- Caulk windows and doors
- Repair and paint fences
- Seal asphalt driveway
- Make sure doors close properly
- Enhance entryway
- Replace welcome mat
These elements are no secret – selling anything is about presenting it as favorably as possible, and a home is no exception. With the right Realtor® and the right presentation, you may find that selling your home is a painless, quick, profitable process!
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