How to prepare your home for sale

How to prepare your home for sale

Is your home up for sale and buyers do not seem to take an interest in it? Or, are you receiving offers that are just too low? Well, chances are that it’s not the real estate market that’s down, but a case of your home not impressing potential buyers. But why?

Because we judge things by their looks. A house that looks good both in its listing photos and in reality will attract more buyers, and get higher bids. If you’re about to put up your home for sale or are already selling one and getting nowhere, doing the following would help.

1. Make the Exterior Impressive

Do you feel proud of the look of your home if you look at it from outside? Do you feel that it’s a lot better than the others in the neighborhood? If your answer was no, buyers do not like it either. To make it appealing,

  • Repaint gutters and window frames
  • Fix the paving slabs
  • Mow the lawn and uproot weeds
  • Trim bushes and hedges
  • Clean the compound
  • Have a friend or family keep your pets for you during the entire time you’re selling your home

The idea is to make the outside appealing and create a favorable first impression in the minds of buyers.

2. Make the Interior Appealing

You have made the outside of your home great, which is good. But buyers will still want to inspect its inside, and if they find it not good enough, they might just change their mind and look elsewhere. Make the interior impressive by doing the following.


  • Remove unnecessary stuff lying around the house
  • Create space by getting rid of old and unusable items
  • Remove items that are personal to you and of no value to the new owner like photos
  • Remove potted plants that only eat space
  • Get rid of your books and CDs

3. Clean Up The House

When was the last time you gave your home a spring cleanup? Most probably, it was a long time ago. You don’t want to sell it while in that condition. Buyers won’t like the idea of having to do it themselves. The real estate market is competitive and only the presentable properties get to sell. Save yourself the delay in selling your home by ensuring that you:

  • Clear cobwebs
  • Thoroughly vacuum everything, from furniture to carpets
  • Clean the windows, taps, kitchen countertops and anything else that needs to be cleaned
  • Polish surfaces to give them a shine

 

4. Allow in Light

No buyer will want a dark looking house. Make your home to have enough light by doing the following.

 

  • Fix broken and old lights
  • Replace low wattage bulbs with ones that burn brighter
  • Paint dark rooms bright
  • Remove any obstacles blocking sunlight from reaching the inside of the house
  • Remove dark curtains that make the house dark
  • Add more lights to darker areas and rooms

5. Fix broken Parts

It’s the little things that you may not find important that will make a buyer find fault with your home. It could be as simple as a small crack in the wall or old towels hanging in the bathroom.

  • Repair that leaking tap and the non-functioning shower head
  • Fix loose doors that won’t close right
  • Replace peeling or old paint
  • Fill cracks appearing in walls
  • Replace old curtains and cushions

6. List Your House

If you’re selling the home yourself, consider both online and offline means to advertise it. Take clear photos of the home, and from different angles. If you’re using a real estate agent, you have nothing to worry about; the agent will take care of everything, from taking photos of your home to listing it.

With good preparations, selling your ugly home becomes easy. Buyers will be in plenty, and their offers are not likely to go below your listing price.

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