Here are 10 ways to prep your home for the market.

Preparing your home to sell on the market can seem very daunting, but know that we’re here to help. That’s why I’m sharing the 10 things that you’ll need to do in order to get your home ready for sale:

1. Educate yourself about the local market. What you’ll hear on the news can be a great basis of information, but real estate is local, so you need to take it upon yourself to find out what’s going on in your area. When you sit with us for a listing appointment, we’ll go over all the information you’ll need to know, but it’s good for you to be educated.

2. Follow a to-do list. It’s important to have your agent go through your home and create a list of things to do in order to prepare. At the same time, who you work with matters, so be sure that you’re aligned with an experienced, professional agent who can give you good guidance.

3. Declutter and organize your house. When your house is clutter-free, buyers will be able to focus on the home itself and not on your personal items. Start packing up your extra stuff, and definitely clean out your closets; buyers always look through those. Our stager would be happy to go through your home and give ideas on how to organize.

4. Deep clean. I’m sure you regularly clean your home, but before you sell, it needs to be deep cleaned. Clean your bathrooms and kitchen from top to bottom, as well as your windows and carpets. Be sure to get rid of any lingering odors, too.

5. Replace your light bulbs. I can’t tell you how many homes I’ve gone to where half the light bulbs are burnt out. You want to have all the lights working so that when we do showings, all parts of the home are properly illuminated.

"Buyers will have judged your home even before they’ve walked up to the door, so be sure to spruce up your home’s exterior."

6. Paint the walls in neutral colors. Get rid of any garish paint colors on your walls and replace them with more neutral colors. That will make the home appear larger and warmer.

7. Rent a storage unit. Since you’ll need to start packing, you don’t want to pile up those boxes in the house. If your garage isn’t large enough to hold some boxes while still being visible to buyers, consider renting a storage unit.

8. Call a handyman. We have handymen we can refer that will help you fix any leaking pipes or faucets, broken locks, malfunctioning electrical sockets, and anything else. If a buyer comes in and sees broken items, they’ll think your home isn’t well maintained.

9. Depersonalize. You don’t have to take down all your family photos, but do take down most of them. The goal is to make your home as inviting as possible; you don’t want it to look like your home, but rather a potential buyer’s home. Be sure to put away personal awards, trinkets, and keepsakes too.

10. Make a great first impression. Buyers will have judged your home even before they’ve walked up to the door, so be sure to spruce up your home’s exterior. That includes trimming shrubs, planting flowers, and clearing up your front door area.

If you’re planning to sell your home and would like us to help you, reach out and give us a call or send us an email. We’d love to be a resource for you.