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It's crucial to prepare your home thoroughly before listing it for sale. A well-presented and staged property will sell faster and achieve a higher sale price. Taking the time to declutter, clean, repair and enhance your home prior to listing will maximise its appeal to prospective buyers.
A decluttered, clean, neutral home staged to highlight its spaciousness and key features will entice buyers and potentially shorten the time your listing is on the market. The effort you put into readying your home for sale will pay dividends in the end result. Use the following tips to ensure you’re fully prepared before listing day arrives.
You want buyers to view your home as a blank canvas they can do what they want with. So, take time to paint walls in neutral colours if needed and repair any damaged areas like cracks or holes. This will freshen up your home and remove any distracting flaws.
It’s a good idea to go room by room and sort through items, donating or storing anything you don't need, and remove all clutter to create a spacious feel. Likewise, remove any excess items from shelves and get rid of clutter.
The more open and empty you can make the home appear, the easier it will be for a buyer to picture themselves and their belongings in the space. It will also provide you with more options when it comes to staging, allowing you to take videos that showcase your home’s layout and photos that sell.
The kitchen and bathroom are two of the most important rooms to buyers, so these should be your primary focus when it comes to updates. It’s worth replacing any cracked or stained caulking around showers, sinks and the bath, and deep clean grout to ensure it’s bright and clean. Any obvious issues such as leaking taps or cracked tiles should also be repaired before you list. Not only will this make your home more appealing to buyers but it can also help to boost the value of your home.
Give every room in your home a deep clean before listing it for sale. This means thoroughly decluttering each room, cleaning floors, wiping down all surfaces, scrubbing windows and ensuring the entire house is spotless. You want your home to make a great first impression and the cleaner and fresh it is, the more appealing it will be to a buyer.
Spend time sprucing up the exterior of your home before you start accepting viewings. First impressions really count and kerb appeal is key. Carefully mow the lawn, edge all landscaped beds and prune any overgrown trees or shrubs. You may also want to invest in a power washer for siding, exterior brick, pavements and porches to remove dirt, mildew and stains.
Check the condition of exterior paint or stain and touch up any peeling or faded areas. Painting the front door and exterior trims a fresh, neutral colour can enhance the front entrance’s appeal, helping your property stand out in listings.
Inspect all exterior lighting fixtures to ensure they are in working order and replace any burned-out bulbs. Proper lighting is essential for home showings after dark. Similarly, repair any damaged areas of driveways, walkways or porches. Remember to remove any lawn decor, kids’ toys, tools or other clutter that distracts from the home's exterior and may not be to the viewer’s tastes.
Lastly, add potted plants or flower boxes to your home's entrance to give it kerb appeal and add colour to the property. Prune surrounding trees and bushes so the home's facade is visible to the street and looks its best. A photo-worthy exterior will help make an outstanding first impression on potential buyers.
Staging your home properly before listing it can greatly increase its appeal to buyers and is particularly useful to do before your property’s photo shoot. An effective staging strategy highlights your home's best features while minimising any flaws.
Start by assessing each room to see if there are any more items you can remove, such as larger furniture pieces, so buyers can envision their own items in the space. Arrange remaining furniture to make rooms feel open, inviting and spacious. For example, pull sofas and beds away from walls and remove extraneous coffee tables or end tables.
Take down personal photos, kids' artwork and family memorabilia. This allows buyers to picture their life in the home, not yours. Let in ample natural light by opening blinds and curtains. Make sure you turn on all interior lights before a showing and install higher wattage bulbs to make rooms brighter.
Make up beds with neutral coloured textiles and decorative pillows on sofas and armchairs. Small details make all the difference.
Do a scent check of each room and remove any lingering pet, smoke or cooking odours. Welcoming aromas can make a big difference to a buyer’s interest in your property. Fresh flowers and pots of vanilla can make rooms more inviting. With proper staging, your home will look its absolute best when buyers walk through the front door.
Preparing your home both inside and out before listing it for sale is a crucial step in the home selling process. An attractive, decluttered and neutral property will garner more buyer attention and shorten the time your house is on the market. Completing these pre-listing home preparations will maximise your property's sales appeal and price. With this checklist in hand, you can confidently tackle every project needed, to get your home market ready.
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