Since I have just listed my personal home, the process of getting your house ready to go on the market is still very fresh in my mind. Here are my top tips:
Let It Go
The first step is letting go of your house emotionally. You have to start thinking of your house as someone else’s house. Once that clicks with you then all the work and money that you put in to get the house ready to sell is now an investment to make you more money.
Think Sooner Rather than Later
Trust me on this, that you don’t want to wait until the last minute to tackle your list of projects. I started 2 years ahead of time. I wrote down everything that needed to be done and slowly checked off items. Sometimes things are big and need time and money saved to pay for them. Defects need to be tackled first. Any kind of water issue like a leaking roof or a wet basement needs to be addressed or it will come back to haunt you later.
Less is More
All I can say is purge, purge, purge. My motto was “nothing comes in to the house, only things go out”. Again start early, I began making weekly trips to our local charities to donate.
Paint Goes a Long Way
I tend to do jobs that I know that I can tackle myself. I don’t have a lot of extra time so I started 2 years ago. I painted one room at a time and changed the butter yellow walls to more neutral modern colors. It is amazing what a $40 bucket of paint can do to update a house.
Kitchens and Baths Sell Houses
Every real estate agent will probably tell you this but it definitely holds true. If you want to get top dollar you have to get those kitchens and baths looking good!
A little Can Mean A Lot
Now that you have made it through all the big stuff. It is time to focus on the small things. Declutter and clean. Your kitchen and bath should be “hotel clean”. Paint your front door, make sure the front beds are weeded, fill your planters with pretty flowers, etc… You want to give the impression that your home is loved and well taken care of. When buyers see a house that feels tired, they immediately think that if the sellers have not taken care of the obvious things then what about the not so obvious maintenance.
It is not easy to put your house on the market but remember to give yourself plenty of time and the goal is to make you more money. Your house is probably your biggest financial investment, so let’s get the biggest return on your money.
