Proper preparation guarantees that a home will sell for good money once it’s placed in the market. As such, you shouldn’t let a small budget discourage you from putting in as much time and effort as you can towards the preparation process.
The key to getting it right and only spending a tiny sum is to know which areas to focus on and how to go about the preparation process. It’s common to assume your house is perfect, but the reality is that there are things you may not see but may distract buyers.
How to Sell House Fast
1. Improve Your Curb Appeal
You can trust buyers to be judgmental about the home’s exterior appearance during the viewing process. These are people who intend to spend their savings on a home and will want to buy something appealing.
According to real estate experts, improving the curb appeal can boost the value of your home by up to 20%. The good news is that it’s possible to undertake a DIY project to enhance the curb appeal.
Your to-do list for such a project should focus on:
- Mowing your lawn and eliminating any available weed.
- Getting rid of any debris present on the yard, e.g., dead plants, leaves, and branches.
- Trimming trees and plants to eliminate overgrowth.
- Scrub weather-off and dirt from the windows and other parts of the house.
2. Invest in Bath Mats and Fresh Towels for the Bathroom
The bathroom is one of the most important areas of any home. Ensure each bathroom has a fresh supply of bath mats and white towels. There’s no need for you to invest a fortune in acquiring these items, as you can buy them from the nearest mall.
According to the home experts at We Buy Any Home, the towels need to be laid out on the bathroom sinks. Placing them in such locations will provide the bathroom with a spa-like feeling. Properly dispose of the old towels and mats.
To ensure the towels don’t get dirtied, store them in a closet when not in use. You can then take them out whenever you have a showing. Once it’s over, fold them, and place them back in the closet until it’s time for another showing.
3. Maximize the Available Space
You will want to declutter the house when getting it ready for a sale. If done correctly, it may prove to be your biggest payoff from this exercise.
Buyers want to invest in a spacious home. For them, the more space they have access to, the more interested they will be in the property.
However, decluttering can prove challenging when you don’t know how to go about getting things done. Experts recommend investing in moving boxes and trash bags.
Move from one room to the next, establishing what needs to be donated or tossed into the trash bags. Don’t divide your time as this may lead to greater confusion.
Rummage through each room before moving on to the closets. Make sure the moving boxes are properly taped, labeled, and stored before proceeding to the next room.
You can stack the boxes in your garage or a self-storage facility.
4. Clean the House Thoroughly Before Showing
If the budget allows it, you can lease the services of a professional cleaning company. The other option is to do this on your own. DIY cleaning projects should start by cleaning the inner parts of the windows.
- Clean all the ceiling fan blades and light fixture coverings.
- Use a carpet steamer to clean all the carpets. It’s not mandatory to replace the carpets before a sale.
- Determine whether you need to get rid of some doors to provide the home with an open feeling.
- Clean the grout lines, the ceramic flooring, and polish all the wooden floors.
- Dust the window frames and the tops of your doorways
5. Apply a Fresh Coat of Paint
Once the cleaning process is completed, your realtor may suggest applying a fresh coat of paint. New paint on a house will have the same effect as the “new car smell.” It makes a lived-in home feel as though it’s brand new. Be sure to select a cohesive and neutral paint color.
