Home Selling Tips

Preparing Your Home for Sale

After years of living in your home, you are finally ready to move on and purchase another one. Why? It doesn’t matter. What matters is how to sell your former house effectively. Staging is the easiest answer to that, but this can be easier said than done. With the current economic crunch, it is harder to splurge on home staging – you might even end up losing money, if you’re not too careful.

The key here is moderation. You don’t have to go all out. If you are a careful homeowner who meticulously takes care of the house everyday, chances are, you don’t have to stage at all. But it is still very helpful to market your house properly and make sure that everything is in order. So, follow these few simple home improvements that can guarantee to attract homebuyers.
 
  1. Start from the outside.

    Landscaping should be your top priority because first impressions are important. Don’t let your untrimmed lawn or scattered broken branches become a deal-breaker – remedy it as soon as possible. Mow the lawn. Throw the garbage. Add flowers. These are the simple rules in making your house immaculate from the outside.
     
  2. Move further to your gutters.

    Nothing can make a buyer think twice about a purchase than a sloppy maintenance. If the gutter in front of your yard is littered with trash, consider cleaning it.
     
  3. Check your windows, doors and other fixtures.

    Although some buyers are willing to take on the task of repairing the house themselves, a majority still want to see a house in good condition. Always remember to check some of the most important parts of your house: windows and doors. If you can handle the repairs yourself, better. If not, hire a repairman to do the job for you.
     
  4. Consider changing your door.

    One way to make your home inviting is to change your door. No, you don’t have to buy a new one; simply changing its color to make it attractive enough for the buyers to want to check what’s inside is helpful. Choose a color that contrasts that of your house – this is one sure way of making a focal point to which to draw the buyer’s attention.
     
  5. Clean the interior of your house.

    When buyers check out a new property, they basically envision their own furniture and personal items inside the home. Don’t make this task hard for them (and for you) by neglecting the clutter. It is better even to include only the basic furniture during the staging; this way, the buyer’s imagination is left to wander about the house. And if he or she finds the house fitting his or her visions, you might get a deal sooner rather than later.