The decision to sell the place you’ve called home for the past season is always overwhelming. Why? Because it’s never just about selling, there’s always something else. We need to move out of the area. Our family is growing and we’re squeezed into this space like sardines. Something’s happened and we need to move closer to home. There is already stress and now you’ve got to add getting a lived in house ready to look not lived in so you can start living somewhere new.
There are a million things you could do to get your house ready to sell, but what are a few key things you can focus on to get the biggest bang for your buck? Yes, there’s a little bit of paint on the edges of your old wooden windows. It will take an hour to scrape them … but is it worth it? I don’t think so.
Here’s 4 key ‘To Do’s’ that will get you the biggest bang for your buck when you need to get ready to sell:
Go through every room and declutter.
You want people who come through your house to say, ‘Wow! There’s so much space!’ Remember, you probably said that at one point! Your house served you well for this last season, and now there is someone at the beginning of your former season that it’s going to serve well again. Go back to the amount of stuff you had when you first moved in. That could mean a yard sale, a thrift store run (because do you really want to have to move ALL THIS STUFF?), or facebook marketplace.
When we sold a house and didn’t have a family basement close by to stow stuff in, we rented a storage unit for a couple of months. It was worth it!
In the kitchen: clean all the stuff off your counters except for maybe that kitchen aid mixer, a bowl of wooden utensils, and your coffee maker. Same in the bathroom - well not the coffee maker or mixer, but make your counters sparse.
In your closets: take out the Christmas decorations and just leave a few clothes and shoes.
Should you depersonalize? It depends. A few family pics and pieces of kids’ artwork around helps people see that a couple or family could be here. But, don’t go overboard.
Fix inexpensive things that are obviously broken
A bathroom faucet without a handle, broken doorknob, or fallen off curtain rod are inexpensive things to replace that will prevent someone from thinking that anything in your house is janky.
My suggestion would be to have someone over who hasn’t been to your house in a while and ask them to point out things they notice that you might miss. That light switch cover that’s cracked is something you’ve seen so many times that its invisible to you, but it is a $.75 repair that will stick out like a sore thumb to someone walking through your place for the first time.
This goes for spots on the wall that need to be painted too … which leads me to …
Paint some stuff!
This might not be possible for super stressful situations or where there is a serious time crunch. But, if you can free up a couple of weekends or stay up light for a few nights, painting some stuff can make a big difference! Paint is cheap - a couple hundred bucks can by enough paint for a whole house!
In one of the last houses we fixed up, we had decided to paint a bathroom a very dark blue color. It was a statement - a very dark blue statement. And probably not a statement that many of our potential buyers would have really gotten behind with their checkbooks. A day and a couple of coats of paint later, it was a cool, neutral color and it TOTALLY transformed the room. Remember, you want your place to attract the most amount of potential buyers.
Think about your first impression, aka things like mulch.
Both online and in person, the first thing people will see when they click on or drive by your house is your front yard and entry. This is your only chance to make a good first impression - is it a good one? If you’re less than impressed by what you see when you pull into your driveway, don’t worry, a little bit of work can make a big difference. Here’s a few small things that can go a long way to boost your curb appeal:
Buy $30 worth of mulch at Lowe’s or Home Depot and add a thin layer to all of your front flower beds.
Throw out your old door mat and replace it with one like this from Target.
Buy 2 ceramic planters and some inexpensive annuals (just walk through the flower section of a home improvement store and pick something that stick out to you) and put them on your front porch/walkway.
If you have an old screen door, take it down and put a fresh coat of paint on your front door - it will revolutionize your entry.
So, there you go. Hope that helps you decrease some of the overwhelm that comes from the gigantic decision of choosing to sell your home. If you have any questions about getting your home ready to sell, please reach out, I’d love to help if I can!
If you’re ready to sell and don’t know what to do next, I’d also be honored to help you out or connect you with someone in your area that can - hit me up here.
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