Prepare Your Home For a Quick Sale
When you are trying to sell your home fast, the proper staging methods can make a huge difference. Whether you are selling your own home or using a top real estate agency, the way you prepare your home for a quick sale can greatly increase the final price of your home. Home staging does not just refer to simply cleaning up and organizing each room in your house. Instead, staging is used by real estate experts to carefully appeal to potential buyers by making your home look like a great place to live in. Proper staging can help to make a fast sale that gets the best possible price for your home. These five home preparation methods can quickly and easily attract possible buyers for your home.
Reduce Clutter
Cluttered homes tend to distract buyers from the key features of the property, so getting rid of any clutter within your house is absolutely essential. Getting rid of clutter does not just mean tidying up. It actually requires that you reduce the number of items in each room. Common types of clutter include items such as figurines on a fireplace mantel, too many appliances on a kitchen counter, or stacks of books on a coffee table. Clutter can also be large, bulky pieces, like big bookshelves or coat racks. These unnecessary furniture items make rooms look tiny and cramped. Even if a room looks clear and clutter free to you, the average buyer might notice things that you do not. Therefore, it can be very useful to have someone who does not live in the home help you when you are staging your home to sell it. Try inviting a friend over to your house and asking the friend to point out items that seem unnecessary or out of place. To sell your house fast, you should leave just enough in each room to keep the house from look bare.
Clear Out Storage Spaces
Unlike cleaning your home up before normal guests come over, when you are staging your house for a fast sale, you cannot hide anything away in storage areas. As interested buyers wander through your home, they may open cabinets, cupboards, drawers, and closets. If these areas are crowded with random junk, buyers may get the idea that your house is lacking in storage space. For this reason, most tips to sell your home will include suggestions about renting a storage unit or donating unused items to a charity. It is alright to leave some items in storage spaces while marketing your home, but you want them to look tidy and spacious. At least three quarters of each storage space should be empty.
Make It Easy to Walk
Whether you are staging your home for an open house or showing it to possible buyers individually, home staging experts recommend that you make it easy for interested people to travel through your house. Any furniture that makes it hard to walk through an area should be shifted or removed, so people can walk through the house naturally. If your home has an open floor plan, furniture should be positioned to create natural walking areas without blocking the views into other areas of the home. Rugs, small potted plants, and any other tripping hazards should also be removed from main walkways. This home selling tip allows buyers to see the potential of each room without getting distracted by having to watch where they step.
Put Away Personal Items
Anything that personalizes your home, like family pictures, trophies, or your child’s artwork should not be displayed if you want to sell your home fast. This is one of the most common mistakes that sellers make because they think personal items help a place look inviting and homey. However, it actually makes people less interested in the house because what buyers want is a house that they can transform into their own home. Buyers need to be able to picture themselves living in the property, and it is hard for them to do this when the home is full of reminders that someone else is living there. Personal items may seem tasteful to you, but certain colors or decorating choices might not appeal to someone who would otherwise want to buy the house. Neutral decor without any personal touches makes a home into a blank canvas, so buyers can imagine how the house will look once all of their personal belongings are moved into it.
Don’t Forget Curb Appeal
Experienced real estate agents who give home selling tips point out that the first impression of a house greatly influences a buyer’s decision. No matter how lovely the interior is, possible buyers are likely to lose interest if their first glimpse of the house is unappealing. To quickly boost curb appeal, add some blooming plants to flower beds and keep the lawn mowed and weed-free. Any clutter or toys should be stored away in a garage or shed, and trees and shrubs should be neatly trimmed. If you have porch or lawn furniture, they should look clean and be placed in attractive seating areas. You can also make your house look more modern by replacing outdated house numbers, updating light fixtures, and renovating your mail box. If you have the time, painting your front door and trim can completely modernize your house.
