How To Prepare Your Home to Sell
Moving is exciting, but it can quickly feel overwhelming. Packing up, arranging your insurance, and getting your family ready to move takes time and a fair bit of planning.
Not to mention you have to get your house ready for buyers, which means a house inspection, deep cleaning, and serious repairs. It can feel insurmountable, but we’re here to help.
You know that Trucordia is here whenever you need help with insurance, but we also want to help you during the moving process.
That’s why we’ve written this blog post so you can get your house ready in no time!
1. Declutter
First things first, your house needs to be tidy. It’s time to pick up, put away, and organize what you have.
Start by imagining you’re having important company over. Pick up anything lying around until your house looks neat enough to host an event.
Then start thinking about what you’re going to pack. Gather your essentials and decide what you’ll need to pack.
Next, get rid of any trash or things you don’t need. Start in one small area, like a drawer or a bookshelf.
Have a junk drawer filled with scores of office supplies? Any clothes that don’t fit? Movies you haven’t watched in years? Time to trash them or sort them into tubs to sell, give away, or donate.
You can even make it a game: go through your items with your family and sort items into “give away,” “pack,” and “uncertain” piles.
Once you’ve sorted your stuff, then you need to take action and pack, donate, or trash your items. It will take a while, so take it one area at a time.
2. Assess any damage
After you’ve started packing, donating, and trashing stuff, it’s likely you’re seeing things you haven’t noticed before.
Scuffs on the walls, cracks in the tiles, and holes in the drywall are all part of living in your home, but they don’t look great to potential buyers. Not to mention, your house inspection may uncover a lot of damages, so it’s worth it to get started early.
Make a list of damages you see room by room, and once the main house is done, you can inspect other things like your HVAC and your well (if you have one).
Then head outside to inspect the exterior of your home-your roof, yard, and driveway all need to look tidy. You’ll likely need to hire professionals to help with this assessment; for example, maintaining your roof can be dangerous for an amateur.
Our blog post about roof maintenance can help you fix your roof, but if you ever feel unsafe, hire a professional.
Other concerns you’ll have to watch out for that are typical to the Pacific Northwest include water damage, rodent damage, and mold.
3. Deep clean everything
Once you’ve packed up, de-cluttered, and assessed the damage, you can start cleaning. (You’ll likely need to have the damages fixed while you clean to speed up the overall process.)
Floors, walls, windows, sinks, drains, screens, cabinets…everything needs to be spotless. Even if you think it’s clean, take a closer look.
When you clean, use the right tools and products for each project, and don’t do anything halfway. (With all the rigorous cleaning, you won’t need to go to the gym for a workout!)
Not all cleaning is possible with just household tools, though, so you likely will need to hire some professionals to finish up.
For instance, carpet cleaners and window washers are worth their weight in gold for their professional-level tools. Landscapers are also incredible for getting your yard looking picture-perfect.
If you do hire cleaners, make sure they have water, snacks, and anything else they need throughout the process. Avoid getting in their way of course, but if you take care of them, they’ll do their best to make your property sparkle.
4. Add some paint
Once your home is perfectly clean and tidy, it’s time to pay attention to aesthetics. Go around the house and look for anything that needs a touch-up.
Any permanently scuffed-up walls will need a quick coat but don’t neglect your furniture, either.
Mark down what needs a quick paint job and go grab the right tools.
Just make sure you have the correct color of paint; don’t assume “eggshell” and “ecru” are the same color.
5. Re-staging
Re-staging your home creates a welcoming environment that entices buyers to purchase your house.
The first thing to do is contact your realtor. They know what buyers want to see, so they can help you determine what you can do to improve the house’s value.
Once you know what needs to stay, you need to get rid of everything else. Removing your personal items makes your home look more professional, and it encourages the buyers to view it as their future home.
Then you’ll need to help your realtor make your home look appealing, which is a whole new process. Stay tuned to read our next blog post about how to stage your home!
6. Keep it tidy
If you’re not living in your house while it sells, you won’t need to worry about this step, but otherwise, you’ll need to make it look like you’re not at home.
Start by keeping all dirt and dust out of your home. Wear shoe covers or remove your shoes every time you go in. (Shoe covers are preferable because you can also offer them to your viewers – it saves you cleaning time every time a buyer views the house!)
Then, every time you use something, clean it (especially the bathroom). It might feel like overkill, but you’ll never surprised if buyers show up out of the blue.
While you clean, keep your cleaning supplies in the garage or somewhere entirely out of sight. The best bet is to take them with you whenever you leave your house.
7. Listen to feedback
After potential buyers view your house, they’ll give your realtor feedback about the house.
It’s best not to take this feedback personally; you love your house, but your viewers don’t have the same emotional ties.
Plus, their feedback can help you attract more viewers if you take it into consideration.
Overall, while the moving process can be stressful, following these steps can help you strategize a battle plan to help you worry less.
Our handy blog posts can answer some common questions, including how to manage your home insurance when you move, if you need moving insurance, and moving tips to have less stress.
So, if you have a question, scroll through our website or give us a call – we’re happy to help!
