Are You Ready to Sell Your Home?
Preparing to successfully sell your home means preparing your yourself – mentally – and preparing your home. First, you – personally – and your family must be ready and prepared to sell your home. After your you’ve prepared yourself, then you will be able to focus on the tasks of preparing your home for sale.
Preparing Yourself
Before preparing your home, you must prepare yourself to be a home seller. This sounds simple but it is not always easy to do. You are a homeowner, and you are likely very proud of your home. You likely have lots of good memories that were made in your home, celebrating holidays and other special life events with friends and family. These things surely add to the value you put on your home, but you must remember that home buyers have their own perspective and most buyers want to get a deal if possible. So, to successfully navigate the entire selling process, you’ll have to transition from being a proud homeowner to a rational home seller and be ready to deal with the negotiation process and all that comes with the escrow.
Preparing Your Home
Once you’ve decided to sell and you’ve taken on the mindset of a rational home seller, you’ll probably need to do some things to get your home market ready. It really helps to start thinking like a buyer and to understand what today’s buyers are looking for – and to take steps to enhance your home’s value before showings begin. Do you see your home as a castle? A cottage? More importantly, how will the buyers see it?!
Many people have seen home improvement or home selling shows on HDTV or other channels, so it’s not a big secret what is necessary to appeal to today’s home buyers: great curb appeal, a light and bright home with good space and layout with a clean, upgraded interior, and a nice outdoor space to enjoy. Does your home present like this now? If so, great! If not, don’t worry – we can help you get there. There will likely be some needed cleaning and sprucing up to your home, possibly taking care of repairs, and in some cases, undertaking some upgrades, and maybe some work in the yard. We will walk your property inside and out, and come up with a specific plan on exactly what to do to get your home ready for photos, video, and for buyers to start seeing your home. We will take the guesswork out of the equation so you’ll know exactly what to do so you can attract the buyers in your price range and beat out your competition. If needed, we can recommend cleaners, painters, landscapers, and contractors to help you execute your preparation plan.
This process will also involve decluttering (if needed) and start to pack. Remember, you are a rational home seller now, meaning you are committed to selling, so why not start packing? You’ll be encouraged to start packing the things you won’t need for the next few months and in the process, you’ll thin out your closets, cabinets, and garage, making these areas look bigger and less cluttered. You may also consider de-personalizing your home a little by removing some number of photos and personal things that may distract potential buyers – and their agents – from seeing your home as more of a neutral and appealing space. This can seem overwhelming, but we will help you decide what should stay and what should go.