Prepping Your Home to Sell

Clean & De-clutter: Use this as an opportunity to get a head start on packing and de-clutter your home of anything that isn’t an absolute essential to your daily life. General rule, if you dust it, pack it! If it is already in a box, take it out!

Areas to Focus on:

Kitchen: Remove all those small appliances from your counters then clean till you can’t clean anymore.

Bathroom: Remove all the products from your counters and bath/shower. Hang a matching set of nice towels on each towel bar. If your bathroom is particularly unattractive, consider investing in a coordinating bath set to spruce it up and on the bright side, you can take it with you! Then clean, clean, clean!

Windows: Clean your windows inside and out. If you have hard to reach windows, consider hiring a professional. It is a small price to pay to have your home looking it’s best.

Water Heater, Softener & HVAC system: These areas are usually dusty and dirty, impress your buyers by making them sparkle. This also adds to their confidence that the mechanical systems in the house are functioning properly.

Garage & Storage Spaces: This is where, if it is already in a box, take it out, comes into play. Over the years we collect many items big and small and save them here and there in the nooks and crannies of our home. Now is the time, to go through, get rid of items you no longer need or want and pack the rest away.

General de-clutter: of personal items in each room. One often overlooked item is pictures on the wall. Although Granny would be happy to know her picture dons your walls, it is distracting to buyers. Buyers need to see themselves living in your house, not you. Remove personal pictures and if needed replace with neutral wall art.

Steam Clean Your Carpets: It is amazing what a professional steam cleaner is able to remove from carpet. This may save you from being faced with a buyer who wants a concession for the carpet, even though you know it is really good carpet, just dirty.

Maintenance through the Sale: Make the bed each morning, pick-up dirty clothes and toys, don’t leave dishes in the sink or on the counters. Vacuum often, this makes your floors look nicer and carpet fresher.

Helpful Hint: For a couple hundred dollars you can have a professional cleaning crew come in and make your home sparkle like new. Make sure to de-clutter before they arrive, then give specific instruction on everything that you want cleaned. They may offer a discount if you schedule them for a couple more maintenance cleanings, which won’t cost as much. Consider the time you will have while your house is on the market. If you feel like you won’t have time to clean your house every week, schedule them to come on Thursdays or Fridays before the weekend showings.

If you are looking to sell your home and these selling tips were helpful to you, please give me a call @ 512-820-6650!