Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

You can only make one first impression with a buyer, and it's important to make it a strong one. Here are some steps you can take to better prepare your home for a quick sell:
 

• Take care of small repairs throughout your home, e.g. dripping faucets, loose door knobs, doors that don't shut. Buyers see small repairs like ants: if you see one, there are dozens more that are on the way. 
   

• Hire professionals for a deep clean: dust everything from floor to ceiling, have the carpets and rugs shampooed, clean out the kitchen appliances, etc.
   

• ...and keep it clean! We're all guilty of letting the mail and the dishes stack up, but buyers don't want to see homeowner's messes. The upside of keeping your home show-ready clean? Your last few weeks at your house will be sparkling fresh!
   

• Remove keepsakes and decorative items from each room and store them away. Make each room neutral enough to let the buyer visualize themselves - and their belongings - in your home.
   

• If you have furniture and decorations that are "unique" to your tastes, consider hiring a professional to stage your home. Staging involves removing some or all of your furniture and decorative items and arranging minimal, updated furniture in their place.

What to Expect During the Selling Process

Some parts of the home-selling process will be more involved than others. Your first priority will be getting your home ready to start showing LINK TO GETTING HOUSE READY. After that, your agent will begin coordinating showings for buyers through their buying agent. While home sales go smoothly when sellers make their homes more readily availble for showings, you can still set guidelines to help you keep your sanity, such requiring a two-hour notification before a showing. Bear in mind that the more flexible you are, the more quickly your house can get shown and purchased. WHAT ELSE?

Simple Steps for Successful Showings

Showings are perhaps the most crucial part of selling your home - yet you likely won't be there for any of them. Most buyers expect to be shown a vacated house, so your involvement with an actual showing is little to none. However, there are steps you and your selling agent can take to make each showing a memorable one for the buyer:

• Keep your house light and bright. Open all of your window treatments and turn on the lights.

• Take your pets with you when you leave, or secure them outside, if necessary (and safe). Buyers should be able to see every room in your house, so enclosing pets in a room is not an option. And be sure to eliminate any waste or odor before a showing: pet odor is a surefire turn-off for homebuyers. 

• If your home has working fireplaces, clean them out and consider lighting a fire if it's winter.

• Make the beds with matching linens.

• Put fresh linens in the bathrooms.

• Keep place settings on your dining room table. No need to be the most formal pieces you own, but make it look appropriate for entertaining.

• Set out a simple tray of snacks like cookies and bottled water.

There's plenty more you can do beyond what's listed here to showcase your home's best qualities. Your listing agent will help you highlight what makes your home most appealing to buyers.