Regardless of the reason, selling a home can be complicated. Not only do you have to deal with all the financial and practical logistics, but you may also be coping with your emotions about leaving the home behind. Our homes are intensely personal things, so the idea of letting people into your home while you’re still living there can be nerve-wracking. What can help is putting yourself in the mindset of the buyer. Here are a few tips to help when you’re getting ready to sell.
Rule #1
The first rule of selling a home is that you don’t sell your home the same way you live in it. The half-dozen bottles of face cleansers, astringent, and creams on your side of the sink need to be put into a drawer or underneath the cabinet. The six guitars lined up in the basement on display stands need to be put away in their cases. Address the famous kitchen catch-all counter spot where the keys, mail, children’s crayon drawings, and loose change get stashed. Your counters must be spotless: the bottles of olive oil, vinegar, and spices you use when you cook must find a new home during the showing cycle.
Clutter is a Killer
Staging your occupied home with your furnishings can make a huge impact on the presentation. After you’ve removed all your stuff while following the first rule, take a look at the bigger picture. Less is more when you’re staging your home. The dining room cabinet that houses the English bone china from your Aunt Gladys is beautiful, but it can look cluttered if everything is crammed inside. Pack up all but a couple of the place settings and some of the impressive large serving pieces. Since you’re moving, this also gives you a head start on packing. When potential buyers walk through your home you don’t want to trap their focus on overstuffed cabinets. You want them to see the overall home, layout, and features; not the personal items that aren’t staying anyway.
Check the Little Things
As homeowners, we all learn to live with little inconveniences throughout our house. Maybe there’s a door that won’t catch on the strike plate or a ceiling fan that wobbles. What about that bathroom exhaust fan that makes a lot of noise but doesn’t draw air out anymore? Or the board in the back deck with noticeable rot in just one small place. And don’t forget that cracked window pane that no one has claimed responsibility for. We can list pages of small issues that come up on an inspection report. These tiny issues can cause a buyer to back out when it could have been a non-issue with a simple repair before the home is even listed.
Talk with Your Agent
Expect to have several discussions and meetings with your agent. The showing cycle is often the most stressful part of selling a home especially with all the preparation you have to do every time a walk-through is scheduled. But selling a home is a team sport and we are with you every step of the way starting well in advance of your home going on the market. Selling your home requires multiple meetings and collaboration to ensure we launch the best product possible.
Additional Tips for a Smooth Sale
There are a few other small ideas that can kick-off a successful sale of your home. Consider these options:
- Rent a short-term, climate-controlled storage unit to remove clutter from your basement or garage.
- Pack up off-season clothing to make closets look bigger.
- Remove books from the bookshelves so they don’t look overcrowded.
- Pack up additional gadgets from your kitchen to make cabinets look spacious.
- Put away things you keep for Christmas or Passover or other holidays.
- Replace old window blinds.
- Clean, remove, or replace old stained countertop items like toaster ovens or coffee makers.
- Replace light bulbs.
- Service the appliances that are staying with the house.
- Paint the front door to give your home a fresh look.
- Hire a professional landscaper to improve curb appeal by adding colorful seasonal plants and flowers.
Do you want to learn more ways to make the sale of our home go as smoothly as possible?
Maison Atlanta & Co is a full-service real estate company with over 100 years of combined experience in buying and selling homes in any market. As a member of Compass, Maison Atlanta and Co has innovation and technology at our fingertips to help our clients meet and exceed their real estate goals and expectations. Call us today.