10 things you should do before putting your house on the market
Many homebuyers are often also sellers looking to put their house on the market before moving into a new home. Listing your home for sale can seem like a long drawn-out process. To get the ball rolling, here are 10 things we recommend you do before putting your house up for sale.
1. Get rid of the junk
You’re getting ready to sell your house and move all your belongings, so now’s your chance to get rid of all that junk you’ve been collecting. It’ll make staging your home a lot easier, and you’ll also have less stuff to pack up and move when the time comes.
2. Let there be light
Start cleaning your windows, eliminate dark curtains and drapes around the house, and change out all the lightbulbs for the highest wattage recommended for each fixture.
Do this inside, outside and in storage spaces. The lighter your home is, the more “airy” and spacious it seems, making it much more attractive to potential buyers.
3. Bring out the toolbox
Look out for small repairs that need to be done around the house - leaky faucets, broken closet doors, torn screens etc. Also hunt for small but important cosmetic updates like buying a new welcome mat, or light switch plates. Touch up interior paint where needed, and replace worn or outdated cabinet pulls, towel rods and hardware in the kitchen and baths.
Taking care of these small fixes can actually make a huge difference when finalising your sale.
4. De-personalise your house
When people are viewing your house to buy, they want to imagine their stuff in your house. So before putting your house on show, remove all your collections and knick- knacks that are lying around the house.
If your stuff is consuming all the space, it’s much harder for buyers to picture themselves living there.
5. Tend the yard
First impressions are essential. And when it comes to houses, they’re made at the curb. Try planting some flowers, and remove anything that’s not essential in your front, back and side yard. Paint fences, remove dead branches from trees, pull out your weeds, and make any necessary repairs to your sidewalks and driveways.
6. Gather paperwork
Before you start packing everything up, pull out all your owner’s manuals, warranty information, and even purchase receipts on appliances if you still have them. Create a notebook of these items to hand over to the new buyer and to easily answer potential buyers’ questions.
7. Book a Pre-Sale Home Inspection
It’s a good idea to get a pre-sale inspection done to inform you of any potential problem areas of your home before you start showing it to buyers. You can fix the issues, or even if you don’t, you can avoid being surprised with big expenses after accepting a sales contract.
8. Get written estimates on repairs
If you know that something in the home needs replacing - like the roof or HVAC systems, get some estimates. You may not be getting the work done, but at least you won’t run the risk of knocking $20,000 off your selling price during negotiations for a $9,000 repair.
9. Pick a Real Estate Agent
Before you’re ready to put your house on the market, start researching and talking to potential listing agents. Talk to family and friends who have sold their house and ask who they would recommend and why.
Do your own online research to see which agents do the best job of advertising and marketing their listings.
10. Let go of your house
It’s almost time to say goodbye to your home, so you’ll want to start releasing those emotional attachments you have towards the house. Detaching yourself emotionally will make negotiations much easier and a successful sale happen much faster!
Ready to put your house up for sale and start looking for a new one? Check out our listings.