Everything You Should Know When Preparing Your Home For Sale

How Should I Prepare My House for Sale?

The day is finally here – you found enough reasons to move and decided to move out of state, but what to do with your old home? If you don’t plan to return any time soon or rent it in the meantime, the best you can do is sell it and use part of the money as the relocation budget. You can follow some house hunting tips to find an even better residence for less money and do whatever your heart desires with the extra cash. There is only one thing you may wonder – how do I prepare my house for sale and move? This isn’t quantum physics and there are many convenient hacks you can use to make the residence more attractive for buyers.

First of all, you have to check the current real estate market in your area and define the starting price – like a real estate agent. It is also essential to decide how much you’re willing to downgrade the starting price if you simply can’t find an interested buyer after some time. When you define this, you’re good to continue with other parts of preparation – giving your residence a proper cleaning and renovation.

Also, if you had tenants living in this particular residence and now you decided to sell it, it is good to do a little tour to check its current condition. If you find that something is broken, you can always keep the deposit and use it for the next steps in the preparation process.

How Much Should I Spend to Prepare My House for Sale?

This actually depends on many factors. Starting with the current condition of your home, it is essential that you’re honest with yourself. If the current state is bad, you’ll probably need to invest more to make it appear more desirable. Other factors also depend on location. If your home is located in an area where beautiful homes pop out every day you’ll have to fight the other competitors.

This is also connected to the price you’re going for when selling the residence or apartment. If the real estate prices in the area are high, there is no reason not to spend an extra dollar for renovation when you’re going to get it back anyway once you sell it. If you feel uncertain about these things, you can always contact a local real estate agent’s company. This way you’ll get a better picture of your obligations and responsibilities when it comes to selling the residence at the targeted market. If the agents are experienced and good at their job, they can give you a lot of helpful information and advise you on the prices you should go for. They will also bring you interested buyers.

First Things First – Clean Everything

Yeah, move-out cleaning is no one’s favorite activity, but in this case, it is one of the most important things to do. You’ll be surprised how much a house can have an entirely different look and vibe once it’s shiny and polished from top to bottom.

If this is your first time relocating and you have no idea how to manage this task, we’ll give you a quick tour. You’ll need to:

• Start with ceilings and wipe off all the dust from shelves, kitchen cabinets, and wardrobes,
• Polish the doors, windows, and other glass surfaces,
• Continue with floors and carpets – vacuum cleaning and mopping are both highly recommended,
• Pay extra attention to bathrooms and kitchens that are usually in the worst condition,
• Change your shower curtain.

Avoid Cooking Meals With a Lot of Garlic in Your Kitchen or Smoking Inside a Home For at Least a Week

Even if you clean everything perfectly, smells from cooking and smoking can linger for a while. That’s why it is recommended that you keep the windows open and avoid these activities for at least some period before you start having potential buyers inside. We’re sure that you can still be a great chef without putting garlic in every meal (even though we all know it makes every dish better). The same thing applies to smoking. Maybe you’re not aware of the fact that your residence has a lingering cigarette smell because you’re used to it. However, if the potential buyers aren’t big fans of these activities or have small children, this smell can be a huge red flag for them.

Declutter and Throw Away or Donate Unnecessary Stuff

When it comes to preparing your house for sale, it is essential that you get rid of unnecessary and bulky items that take up a lot of space. If you want to keep some of them, look for some convenient storage units where you can keep your inventory, but as long as you’re not selling them with the house, unfortunately, they need to go.

Remember, old and bulky furniture can also have a negative impact on potential buyers’ impressions. If you think that your large furniture won’t fit your new home, but you still don’t want to throw it away, there are some other convenient solutions.

First of all, you can organize a garage sale and earn some money that you can save for hiring professional long-distance moving services. You can also donate some items to the ones in need. This is also recommended when it comes to boxing up clothes – there is probably no need to take everything with you. Begin with reorganizing your closet and deciding what you actually want and then handle other stuff as you please.  Follow the same rule when it comes to packing shoes – you probably own some pairs that you

Repair Everything That Is Broken

If you wonder how to prepare your house for sale, small repairs must be the first thing that comes to your mind after cleaning. Most people do this naturally – when something breaks, they repair it to keep things functional. Now we’re talking about small repairs. For example, a little crack in the wall won’t hurt your well-being, but it can give the potential buyers a bad vibe. That’s why it is important that you inspect everything carefully and repair potentially problematic spots.

Consider Repainting Walls in Neutral Colors

As much as you love giving your residence an authentic and signature look, it is important to keep it simple when it comes to coloring. Sure, some rooms that are specially designed with particular wallpapers and statement brick walls should be kept, but when it comes to the majority of your home, the key is simplicity. People who are moving in probably have a different vision of their dream home (no matter how perfect yours is), and the simple colors on the wall will allow them to imagine their own experiments.

This can help them visualize some different ideas – better than forcing them to stick to your original design. This might take some extra effort but now that you’ve come this far, there is no need to turn back. You’ll have plenty of time to redecorate your new residence and make it as dramatic and unique as you want.

Make Sure There Is Enough Light – Almost Every Family Love Clean and Opened Space

This is mandatory, especially if you live in some place with gloomy weather. As long as your potential buyers aren’t vampires, they will probably prefer to have some natural lighting around the home. That’s why it is important that you keep your windows open and curtains off. Natural lighting and bright walls will also give the illusion of a broader and fresher space, which is highly desirable in the real estate market.

Don’t Forget to Maintain Your Garden and Lawns

Even when your residence is in its finest state, don’t forget the exterior. This can affect the whole first impression – even in a negative way if it’s not well maintained. Keep things simple and remove all the extra ornaments and dwarfs you have in your garden, even though you find them cute. Lawns should be green and maintained, as well as the flowers and bushes. This will make the signature impression that your whole residence is in great condition and that you’re responsible for your surroundings and keeping things functional inside and out.

You Can Also Bring the Nature Inside

What’s better than a bright and clean space? Bright and clean space with some lovely plants. This can actually give your home a soul and bring so much positive energy. We don’t say to overdo it, but a few plants here and there won’t do any harm, especially if they fit in well. Just ensure your plants are healthy and free of bugs.

For Open Day House – Make Something Delicious and Light Up Some Candles

This could be one of the ultimate hacks from preparing your home for sale checklist. It isn’t a big secret that people are attracted to smells, and smells that remind them of their childhood and family residence are often connected to some delicious meals. That’s why you wanna use this trick to “seduce” your potential buyers by giving them the impression they will genuinely feel at home once they are at your house. You don’t have to make anything complicated – simple butter cookies will do the trick.

If you’re not the best at cooking, you can always light up a candle. Luckily, candles nowadays come in a variety of lovely smells – including freshly baked cookies. They can also add some depth to your residence aesthetics. Potential purchasers are more likely to memorize your home as a desirable one if you fill it out with unique and catchy smells. This video can give you some more ideas that will help you organize this open house day like a professional real estate agent.

Now That You Know Everything About Preparing Your Home For Sale, You Are Ready to Move

Now that you have all of the best tips for preparing your home for sale and are willing to use them to make the residence more attractive to purchasers, it should be more than easy to sell it. Once you are done with this process, the only thing left is to change the address and organize your move. Keep in mind that if you want to move efficiently and easily, you can always hire professional cross-country movers. With their moving services and convenient relocation hacks, your move should be a piece of cake. Not to mention the fact that your relocation budget will get a good boost from selling your previous home, so you can use it to decorate your new apartment once you move to another state.