Do you have your home for sale and are anxious about just getting it all over with so that you can move on to the next new exciting chapter?
Well, there are a few simple steps you can take to help your Realtor get your home sold faster. Even if you’re on a budget, these tasks are cheap and easy and will help the potential buyers see your home in a whole new light.
Exterior
You only get one chance at a first impression! So with that said, make sure that the outside of your house dazzles as the viewers pull up. Here are 4 things that can be done to impress before they even walk through the front door.
Clean, Clean, Clean!
Pressure wash the outside walls and roof of your house to remove any dirt, spider webs, or anything else that’s just plain yucky. Unless it’s Halloween, we don’t want buyers to think they are about to enter a haunted house (and even then, that tactic is risky). Also, be sure to make those windows sparkle! Even if you have to hire someone to get those exterior windows to shine, it’s worth the extra few bucks to get potential buyers to literally be able to ‘see’ themselves in your house.
Gardening
Bust out those gardening gloves, do a few stretches because nobody likes a sore back and get to the weeds. Cleaning up exterior landscaping and flower beds makes your house look fresh and inviting. Flowers are your welcoming committee so make sure they are flourishing. A little bit of pruning goes a long way.
House Number
It’s going to be tough to fall in love with your house when they can’t even figure out which one it is. We don’t want anyone already frustrated before they even pull into the driveway. So, make sure your house number is visible and lit up if possible.
Hide Those Cans
Here in Kelowna we are lucky to have a superior garbage and recycling collection system and that should be a positive for buyers but lets let them find out through talking with their Realtor rather than parking beside three huge stinky bins when they pull up to your home. Hide your garbage cans in the garage or around side of the house so that they aren’t the focal point as people pull up.
Interior
Alright, so they have parked, walked all the way up to the front door and they like what they see. Let’s make sure first, that the front door is clean (a fresh coat of paint wouldn’t hurt), and second, that they remain impressed as they look through the interior. Below are 6 relatively painless (Well, If you’re my age there are a few that you might feel the next day, but nothing unbearable) that you can take control of so that your rooms amaze.
Again… Clean, Clean, Clean!
Just as ensuring the exterior of your house is clean, its equally, if not more important to make certain the interior is immaculate. Pay attention to detail outside of your basic ‘windows, walls and surfaces’. You may have to do a little more stretching and get down on your hands and knees to get pesky areas like baseboards and tile grout. On the plus side though, cleaning is a great way to burn calories so now you are helping sell your house and improving your health. Its a really a win/win situation so get scrubbing.
Declutter!
First thing is first, nobody wants to move stacks of paper to see what the counter tops look like. Make sure that all unnecessary and personal items have been put away. Remember, you’re moving so put it out to the Universe and start packing up anything that you don’t need. Not only does this put you ahead of the game but it also helps to declutter your house so that the viewer can imagine their stuff in the space and not yours.
Paint
A fresh coat of paint goes a long way! Choose neutral colours so that the walls appeal to a wider range of people. Dark colours tend to make a room feel closed in and small so choose something light and fresh. Just like ‘new car smell’ attracts car buyers, a fresh coat of paint throughout will give your house that ‘new house smell’ to get viewers that much more interested.
Add Some Personality
Now that I have told you to remove all your unnecessary and personal items, I’m going to tell you to add some personality? Contradicting, I know.
But what I mean here is add something that everyone can appreciate like fresh flowers or a bowl of lemons or fresh fruit. A few houseplants and greenery will make rooms more inviting add some colour and life to the space.
Appeal to the Buyer with a Sensitive Nose
If we have cleaned and painted as much as I have suggested then worrying about the smell of your home shouldn’t be too much of a concern. But, for pesky areas such as bathrooms, you might want to leave a small bowl of potpourri or a light air freshener. Make sure that it’s not overpowering as some people have sensitive sniffers and we don’t want to make it look as tough you are masking problematic issues.
Fix It
Potential buyers will be deterred if they feel that they are going to have a long list of ‘to dos’ right when they move in. So take some of those things off their list by fixing any small problems like cracked tile or porcelain, small holes or dings in the walls, chipped cabinet doors, leaky faucets, etc.. People want to move into a home they feel was cared for and all these small things add up and attest to the appreciation that you showed for your home while you lived there.
So there you go!
Now that you know that you have the ability to hold some of the control when it comes to how fast your home sells, you can rest easier with regard to when you will get to move out. With a little bit of attention (and elbow grease) your home will impress every time and your Realtor will be ecstatic to know that you area on board with their goal to find the right buyer for your home. And hey… you might even want to suggest to your agent that they ensure they’ve hired an amazing photographer to showcase all your hard work 😉