Welcome to 2017! Now that the holiday season is behind us, you might be thinking ahead to a spring sale. How exciting! When it comes to real estate, making a great first impression is key, so it’s never too soon to start preparing your home for the market. A few basic elements can help you sell your home faster. Here are 10 tips for making your home more attractive to potential buyers, before and after it’s listed.
1. Ensure everything from the sidewalk to the backyard is as clean, tidy and clutter-free as possible. Begin packing away personal items. Most buyers will make a decision whether to look at your home based on a few online photos, so wow them from the get-go!
2. Make sure your house smells as clean as it looks.
3. Consider making an appointment with a home staging consultant.
4. Complete any necessary repairs and repaint high traffic areas as needed. Things like broken faucets, missing light fixtures or holes in the drywall will give the impression your home is not well cared for.
5. If you’re swamped with work, kids and other responsibilities, hire a cleaning agency for a few months to make sure that your house is sparkling and ready for every showing.
6. Be reasonable when deciding on your price. Trust your realtor’s judgment and the comparables.
7. Once your home is listed and on MLS, check your online ad for any errors.
8. Do your best to work with prospective buyers. If they want to come and view your house at 8 a.m., make it happen!
9. Be flexible if a realtor shows up with prospective buyers and no appointment. Mistakes and miscommunication sometimes happen and buyers will understand if a few things are out of place.
10. Finally, make sure you are ready to purchase your new home! Get pre-approved and start looking at homes on the market in your price range. If an offer comes in with a short closing date, you’ll want to be ready move forward.