5 Things To Do Before Listing Your House On The Market
Many home shoppers are also homeowners who are planning to sell their current property in order to buy another one. If you’re one of such people, chances are you’ll be looking to sell your property as quickly as possible to fund the buying of a new home. So what can you do to sell your home fast?
Things to do before placing your home on the market
Let more lights in
Potential home buyers love lights. They always want to see how a home will look like when it’s bright with natural and artificial lights. So clean your windows, remove heavy or dark drapery and window treatments. Replace all your light bulbs for the highest wattage recommended for each fixture.
You should do this in your home’s interior and exterior parts as well as in storage areas. The more lights and air you let in, the more spacious your home will seem and the more appealing it will be to home shoppers.
Fix as many things as you can
Potential home buyers often look for things that require repairs in a home before negotiation. They use the repair cost to negotiate for price cuts. So just before you list your home, fix as many things as you can. Repairs such as a running toilet, a leaky faucet, a closet door that’s jumped track, the doorbell that never worked, torn screens, etc. can make a huge difference during negotiation.
Also, there are small but crucial cosmetic updates you can do to boost your home’s value. Updates like new light switch plates, fresh tub/shower grout, a brand new welcome mat, etc. A coat of wet paint can do some magic where needed, replace outdated or worn out cabinet pulls/towel rods/hardware in baths and kitchen. All these little updates add up to make a meaning whole that you can use as leverage during negotiation.
Look beyond your personal preference
Potential homebuyers want to envision themselves in your home, so create space for their imagination to run wild. Don’t personalize every space in your home. Rather, make potential buyers see how they can use available spaces to do whatever they want.
So consider removing personal collections, knick-knacks, and too-full shelves. An empty shelve or one that isn’t full is enough to give potential buyers a clear idea of what to do with the space.
Create a good first impression with your yard
So many potential buyers do a drive-by before making up their mind to visit for a home tour. So improve your curb appeal. Remove any unsightly thing from your yard (front and side yards). If you have an old, outdated mailbox that’s begging to be replaced, now is a perfect time to replace it with a new shiny one. Also, trim your trees, remove dead branches, paint fences, pull weeds, and make sure your sidewalks and driveways is in good shape.
Get your paperwork handy
Before you start packing your belongings, pull out all the paperwork and fine prints you’ll have to pass over to the home buyer. So pull out your warranty information, owner’s manual, and appliances receipts, renovations etc. You should create a file and put in all the relevant paperwork including utility bills etc. you’ll need the file to answer potential buyers questions too.
Don’t skip on pre-sale home inspection
Getting a pre-sale home inspection will help you figure out potential problem areas of your home before you start welcoming potential buyers. You’ll probably want to fix any problem area. nd even if you don’t you’ll avoid being surprised with huge expenses during negotiation or after accepting a sales contract.
Get written estimates
Once you’re aware that something in your home needs to be replaced get a replacement estimate. For instance, your roof, pipes or some parts of your electrical system, get a few replacement estimates. Even if you don’t intend to get the replacement or have the work done, you won’t end up knocking $15,000 off your selling price during negotiation for a $5000 repair.