Here at Signature Home Buyers, we LOVE being able to help people out by buying their houses! That being said, we know there’s a lot of you out there who want to sell your house on your own! For those of you looking to sell on your own, we wanted to share a few tips and tricks on staging and preparing your house to impress buyers, and sell it quickly for the best possible price!
Tips on how to stage and prepare your house to sell:
- DE- CLUTTER! Most people live in their homes for at least a few years at a time. Clutter is inevitable! The problem with clutter is that it can be distracting to a new home buyer, and takes away from your home’s great features. Clear out the clutter so buyers can come in and see a nice, clean palette.
- Remove any family photos or personal items. We know this can be hard to do, but you want a buyer to come in and envision THEIR family there, not yours. Removing your personal family photos or personal items can be much more inviting to the buyer, and allow them the chance to imagine themselves there instead of someone else.
- Paint and clean up your walls. Paint is easily one of your biggest return on investments. People’s taste in color can be very different from one another, and tends to be pretty specific. Not everyone will love your blue walls, or your wallpaper for that matter. Choosing a (neutral!) coat of paint can make all the difference in the world to make your house look fresh, clean and inviting. Maybe your paint is OK, but you have gathered a few not-so-easy to avoid knick’s and scratches on your walls over time. A wet magic eraser works MIRACLES!
- Look at the house though the eyes of the buyer. When we live in a home for months years at a time, it’s easy to walk by that ding in the wall, scratch on the floor, or rip in the carpet without even noticing it anymore. Chances are, a new potential buyer WILL notice all of this. Go through your house and find these items to clean up. If you think you’ll miss things, call up a friend and have them walk through and give their honest opinion.
- MAKE YOUR BEDS & Clean out your closets! Making your bed is a simple task that makes a HUGE difference. Clear out your closet so it isn’t jammed packed – Here’s to hoping you didn’t de-clutter in Step #1 by shoving everything in the closet! Buyers will most likely be interested in the closet space. Clearing it out and organizing will make the closet appear larger.
- Open the curtains and let natural light in. Dark houses tend to look older. Letting the natural light in will make your house look newer, and more spacious!
- Clean! Clean, clean, clean. Vacuum or shine the floors. Dust, wipe off the counters, disinfect! Pay special attention to kitchen appliances and bathtubs/showers and toilets! Your goal should be to make everything look brand new. Eliminate odors. Pets, food, bathroom conditions and many other circumstances can give your house an odor. You are most likely immune to this as well so this might be another item to bring a friend over for. There are many cheap tricks for deodorizing a house to make it smell more inviting. Bake some cookies before a showing, light a candle (nothing overpowering! Fresh cotton or vanilla are good, neutral choices!) Febreze fabric sprays/Pet odor eliminator, etc.!
- Mow the lawn! Even if you don’t have dramatic landscaping, mowing the lawn and tidying up the yard will go a long way. Your homes exterior is a buyers first impression, and may even sway their interest upon going inside. Make sure your windows are clean, and your lawn, trees and plants are well maintained, and keep the driveway or walkway to the door free of obstructions.
We hope these staging tips and tricks help you out when it comes time to sell your
home! As always, if you are looking to sell your home fast, or as-is, we are always just a phone call away!
Call us today for a fair, cash offer! 518-630-6000