I know I often talk about what you should do when you are preparing your home for the market, the list can be intimidating, but if you want to sell your home quickly and at the best price possible all of those things are necessary. As with any project or new adventure you will learn things along the way and there will be things you didn’t expect – this list is in no way meant to “scare you” it is to help you be more prepared. I have helped many sellers over the years and these are most common things my sellers tell me they learned:
* White and bold wall colors are a no-no! When you speak to a stager, or an experienced real estate agent they will tell you that the colors are too bland (white) or too bold (that ocean blue kitchen) or too bright (the red wall in your dining room) and will not entice a buyer. Yes, paint is cheap and an easy fix for a new home owner but many buyers see painting – especially over bold and bright colors – as one more thing to do before moving in and often will shy away from a home for this very reason. Find a nice neutral color and repaint before putting your home on the market.
* The walls are in worse shape than you think. You will want to remove family photos and other items you have put on the walls, especially in children’s rooms. When you do this you will discover holes that need filling, damaged spots that need repair, and undoubtedly dust and faded spots. So plan to repair the walls and texture and paint. Thinking you can match the paint and just touch up never really works!
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* Cut the clutter really means move nearly everything out of each and every room. You will want a minimum amount of furniture in each room to make the rooms appear larger and more enticing to home buyers. Bedrooms should have a bed, dresser and not much more. Remove bookcases, sofas, desks, TV’s and empty the closets. If you pile things up in the garage or basement be sure it is in an orderly fashion so that buyers can appreciate the size of the basement or garage without being overwhelmed by the amount of your stuff.
* Some large items that you moved into rooms will not come out as easily as you remember. Especially if it is a large, heavy couch or hide-a-bed. The longer an item has been in that room the less you will remember what it took to get it there and the more frustrating it could be to remove it.
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* Some cleaning projects will be frustratingly stubborn. Especially wood railings that are touched and used daily; faded walls & floors; stained carpets; and places behind or under some of that large furniture we talked about earlier.
* Fix those nagging problems, like leaky faucets or stained/chipped sinks, and slow drains. The easier you think that fix will be usually means the longer and more problematic it will really be. However, doing it now before you go on the market is always better than later; remember buyers will see a leaky faucet as an indication of imagined bigger issues with your home.
* Everything will take longer than you plan!
If you are planning to put your home on the market, contact me, and not only will we discuss the value of your home, my marketing plan, but we will also talk about what needs to be done before we put your home on the market. I am here to help, contact me!