So, you’ve decided it’s time to sell your home. Great! Ready to get the highest listing price for your house? Preparing to sell your house is as important as actually selling your house. Why? Because every home seller has a chance to make a positive or negative impression on prospective home buyers. With this opportunity comes a home seller’s chance to prepare their home to be presented in the best possible light to each potential homebuyer, and all it takes is a little planning and effort before listing your house for sale.
Taking the time to do these five simple things will help you get the highest listing price on your house and assist in selling your home faster. After all, getting the highest listing price and best offer on your home is likely your primary goal.
Tip #1 Complete Unfinished Home Projects & Eyesores
When preparing to sell your house for the highest listing price possible, it is so important to remain objective and assess your surroundings as a potential home buyer would. The most obvious place to begin is by making a list of any unfinished home projects around your home. This includes considering any areas of your house that may be ugly or an eyesore. Addressing these areas now will help you avoid negatively influencing potential home buyers later. Just remember, it may not be fun, but it has to be done. Asking yourself the following questions could help you identify specific areas of your home that need to be addressed:
- Are there old, outdated/stained carpets in bedrooms?
- Are there mold and mildew stains in bathrooms?
- Are there any broken fixtures in bathrooms or kitchens?
- Are walls desperately in need of fresh paint?
- Are there baseboards or trim unfinished?
Consider details around your home that you may not really notice anymore that might turn off a prospective buyer and figure out an affordable way to address it.
Tip #2 Getting the Highest Listing Price Means Home Inspections Are Coming
If you’re going to sell your house for the highest listing price possible, home inspections are imminent. Home inspectors typically focus on the functionality and quality of a home. You can expect a home inspection to show at least a couple things that are minor about your home because no home is perfect. However, there are efforts you can make now to keep this list as short as possible. The shorter the list, the less prospective home buyer’s will be turned-off by your property. Be sure to address any of the following:
- Water damage
- Any structural integrity issues
- Roof damage
- Electrical issues
- Plumbing issues
- Insect or pest infestation
- HVAC problems
Tip #3 Keep Your Home Color Palette Neutral
Selling your house is not the time to be bold or show your eccentric side. If fact, reel it in to the most neutral space you can. This helps an array of prospective home buyers be able to really imagine themselves living in this space. Think about anything you might notice if you were considering buying your house and try to address the major red flags. Your bright green dining room needs to go.
Tip #4 D-E-C-L-U-T-T-E-R
You love your stuff. To potential home buyers, your stuff is clutter that can interfere with the overall showing of your house. You do not need to go sterile, but seriously decluttering your home will be one of the major ways you can work to stage your house for sale successfully. It’s so important to declutter your home before you list. Pack up absolutely everything that you don’t need, while also considering renting a storage unit to hold said items until you move. And remember, a million and one magnets on your fridge or appliances along with years of child artwork will not sell your home. Pack it up and make your space as open as possible! The more effort you put into decluttering your house, the better potential home buyers will feel experiencing what could be their new home.
Tip #5 Work with A Realtor to Get the Highest Listing Price
Working with an experienced realtor will make all your efforts getting your house ready to sell worth it! A good realtor will help you determine the most cost-effective areas of your home to make changes, and also get the best bang for your buck! Most importantly though, a great realtor will know your Market! Knowing your market is single-handedly the most important detail involved in selling your house. The realtor you want to work with will know your competition in the area and how your house for sale will stack up. If you know what the competition is doing and what those homes look like, you will know how you can set yourself apart and make your house the one home buyers want to see.
Meet Noonan Lombardi Realtors. Owners, Glen Lombardi and Aliesha Noonan work with their team to service the real estate needs of Southern New England residents. From rentals and property management services to every aspect of the real estate process, Noonan Lombardi Realtors have decades of experience giving home buyers and home sellers their most successful real estate transactions.