Ready to really go minimal and travel the world living out of one bag? If you’re a home owner, here’s some solid tips that will get you the best selling price:
Before listing your home on the MLS it is always a good idea to go over a checklist of things which can interfere with your asking price. The time to go over any repair that needs to be done is before actually listing it because you want to be able to show your home at its best. From checking the roof for leaks to applying a new coat of paint on the interior or exterior of your house, it is almost a certainty that something can be done functionally or cosmetically to help drive the price upwards. If you have never listed a home on the market, these tips on how to get your home ready for sale just might help.
Why Curb Appeal Is So Important
Just as it sounds, ‘curb appeal’ is how your house looks from the road. If you were to drive up to your home for the very first time, never having seen it, what would you think? This is why it is so important to pay a good deal of attention to what your house and grounds look like from the road. Many times a home is listed for sale and the grounds are so unattractive that the potential buyer never bothers to ask to be shown the interior. They have seen enough from the outside to tell them what they think they need to know.
Exterior Preparation for Selling Your Home
Many homeowners focus on their roof because it is an important feature that is functional. If the roof leaks then the entire home might be subject to water damage right down to the foundation. Structural damage can significantly devaluate the value of a building and so that is why homeowners take the time to ensure that their roofs are in good repair.
However, it won’t be apparent until the prospective buyer has a chance to do a thorough walk through with a realtor and is made aware of recent repairs. It is suggested that you also focus on having the exterior of your home painted or at least pressure cleaned before listing it for sale. A fresh coat of premium grade exterior paint can make your house look almost as good as new and anyone driving by to look might well show an interest in seeing the inside.
For more examples of tasks to do, check this sales video of a Phoenix-based company:
Remove All Clutter from All Rooms
One of the best pieces of advice that can be given to homeowners looking to sell their homes is to get rid of all clutter from each and every room. There are two very good reasons for this. In the first place, no one wants to move into a house that was recently inhabited by sloppy people. Secondly, getting rid of clutter gives each room the appearance of being much larger. You can also add mirrors at strategic points to make rooms look larger. Of course it’s an optical illusion, but it does make rooms look bigger than the actual square footage.
Thoroughly Clean Every Room
Over the years every home picks up odors from cooking, pets and just from being lived in. Give your home a thorough cleaning and use softly scented soaps and wood oils as needed. Don’t go overboard because no one likes to live in a cold, hard, sterile environment and that is just what you’ll accomplish if you overdo it. Instead, make sure each room is well dusted, the floors are swept and any laundry or toys put away where they belong.
A home should be friendly and inviting and no one will believe your house is for real if you keep it sanitized like an institution. Yes, it should be clean and freshly painted if necessary, but that is the extent of how you want to clean the interior.
The Roofing System
Getting back to the outside, one thing you want to inspect carefully is the roof. If there are any leaks they should be seen to immediately and a thorough inspection of the ceiling within should be made to tell you whether or not water has seeped in. Make sure to check all gutters, downspouts and fascias to make certain there are no leaks there either and if you should find any problem areas, make sure water did not infiltrate the walls, doing structural damage as a result. One last step is to clean your gutters thoroughly as this is part of the curb appeal spoken of earlier as well as a necessary precaution against leaky gutters.
Getting ready to sell your home is a big step and one that should not be taken lightly. By making sure your home looks lovely from the street and that it is clean, neat and in good repair you can hope to get your list price a lot easier than if you need to make repairs per the offer being made. Keep these tips in mind and all should go well.
