Here are 6 real tips on how to get your house ready to sell! Budget-friendly options to update your home are a great way to maximize your selling price and sell your home quickly! Scroll down for your FREE seller’s guide checklist!
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6 Real Tips: How to Get Your House Ready to Sell
So you are interested in selling your house. What’s next?
You’ve heard some rumors about removing all of your family photos and painting your whole house white, but what is the real deal!?
Before we get to that, you have to hear some cold-hearted news…
The moment you decide to list your house, it is no longer yours!
Don’t kill the messenger, this is what we have come to learn over years of watching people buying and selling. If you have seen any show on HGTV, you know that buyers come in and start naming everything “wrong” with the property.
As you start the selling process you have to decide which seller category you fall into. Are you “As-Is” sellers or “Turn-Key” sellers?
“As-Is” sellers are selling their home exactly how it is at that moment. They are not doing any repairs to the home. All of the updates will belong to the new buyers once the home is purchased. Also, they’re house will be listed at a lower price, because of the repairs needed.
“Turn-Key” sellers are willing to invest in repairs and updates in order to get the most money for their home.
This article is for “Turn-Key” sellers and is here to help you update your home on a budget, so that you can get your house sold quickly!
Even if you follow all of the steps below, you won’t make a sale if the right buyers don’t come through the door! Hiring the right real estate agent can really make a difference. He or she has to do a good job at marketing your home in order to cast a wide reach.
(If you live in southern New Jersey and are looking for an excellent realtor, you can contact me for some excellent recommendations!)
After your real estate agent has done their part, these 6 tips will get you the most bang for your buck!
Here’s how to get your house ready to sell and sell quickly:
- Boost curb appeal
- Create an inviting entry
- Declutter and clean EVERYTHING
- Paint all the things
- Remove and rearrange furniture
- Add the finishing touches
Boost curb appeal:
Related: “Large & Small Projects to Add Value to Your Home“
The first thing that home buyers see when they arrive at your home is your curb appeal. How attractive is your home? You don’t need to get new siding or a lay a brick walkway to make your exterior look nice! Here are several things that you can do on a budget.
- Power wash your siding if necessary-you can rent equipment from Home Depot
- Clean out your flower beds-that means remove the leaves, extra debris, and weeds
- Mulch and plant seasonal flower or plants
- Trim bushes
- Mow your lawn regularly
- Reseed your lawn if needed
- If your exterior is in bad shape and you are trying to get the most money for your home, you may want to repaint, stain or get your siding repaired
Create an Inviting Entry:
After the buyer is enticed to get out of their car, the next step is to get them into your front door. If the entryway looks appealing, you will have them guessing about the inside of the house. Keep them wanting more by completing these tasks!
- Add a welcome mat to your front door and other doors around your home. Layer door mats for a more styled look
- Pot fresh flowers in planters around your door
- Give your front door a new coat of paint or stain if needed
- Keep your porch lights on at night for potential drive-bys
Declutter and Clean EVERYTHING:
Related: “How to Organize a Small Linen Closet”
Less is more when selling your home! I can’t say that enough! Buyers need to see the floors in order to decide if they want to live there! If you have boxes of things or a room filled with junk, they are going to be less inclined to make you an offer. Use the items below as a good rule of thumb when decluttering.
- Remove excessive personal items-this includes collectibles, awards, photographs and anything that is dripping in your personal style
- A couple of family photos are acceptable, but a gallery wall of your kids from birth to age 18 are a big deterrent to buyers.
- Declutter bathroom and kitchen counters
- Minimize items on table tops, nightstands, and bookshelves
- Don’t overlook your closets! Buyers WILL look inside your closets when viewing your home. Show off maximum storage space!
Paint All The Things:
Related: “$500 Master Bedroom Makeover-One Room Challenge”
Let’s talk paint! When selling your home, paint is your best friend. You can pay someone to paint your home or, as a way to cut costs, it might be something that you can take on yourself. In order to maximize your profits, keep these key points about paint in mind when selling your house.
- It is the quickest way to update an outdated or uninviting space.
- It’s an inexpensive way to change the look and feel of your home.
- Neutral paint colors are best when selling your home.
- Neutral colors help buyers see a clean slate and can more easily envision themselves living there.
- Get rid of dark or bold colors and patterns, because they do not speak to the masses.
Remove and Rearrange Furniture:
Remember when I said, less is more when selling your house? I’m saying it again! People want to be able to walk freely around your home, not worrying about squeezing through a room crowded with furniture. Here’s what you can do to offer the best furniture set-up when selling your home.
In the image above, you can see how seating arrangement makes a big difference in the look of the space. Sarah added a larger rug and coffee table, but by rearranging the furniture, she made the room feel more open and larger!
- Remove excess furniture, because less furniture will make a room feel larger.
- You can put furniture in storage or sell it on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or contact a local antiques dealer if necessary.
- Use any money from selling furniture or other items to put toward your home selling and staging budget.
- Create conversation areas if possible when rearranging furniture.
- If you have a home where the furniture has been removed, it’s important to fill as many rooms as possible to help buyers envision how they can use the space.
- On top of rearranging furniture, you can update the look of older pieces by painting or changing out the hardware. This is a great way to upgrade your kitchen cabinets!
Add the Finishing Touches:
Related: “Fall Home Tour”
If you want to sell your house quickly and for the most amount of money, here are some finishing touches that you can add to present your home in the best possible light! During an open house, your realtor will handle a lot of these items, but it’s great to be prepared for last-minute showings!
- Open blinds and drapes to let as much natural light in as possible.
- Turn on as many lights as possible, especially at night. Lighter and brighter makes everyone happier.
- Light a candle in your kitchen and bathrooms to give the house an inviting smell.
- Add fresh flowers or greenery around your home in places such as your kitchen, dining room, and bathrooms.
Get Your FREE Seller’s Guide Checklist on How to Get Your House Ready to Sell!
Selling your house can be a stressful time and we all have lives outside of keeping our homes staged to sell. However, the more you can do ahead of time to prepare, the better it will be when you are actually selling.
You might not want to put in a lot of money when selling your home, but it’s an investment. An investment that will get you a higher selling price and a quicker turn around time on the market. You wouldn’t try to sell your car if it was covered in mud and filled with clothes and fast food wrappers, would you?
Follow the ideas on the FREE seller’s guide checklist in order to maximize your profits and minimize your time on the market!
If you are looking to prepare your home for a sale and need some guidance, I offer home staging packages. Please feel free to contact me at hellocentralavenue@gmail.com for more information!
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Great advices. Paint is indeed #1 priority, I find it to be the easiest / cheapest way to give a fresh look to your whole house that will very likely make a huge difference for the visitors (given you’ve chosen the right color ahah).
Yes, as long as they choose the right color! Haha!