By Maddie Ogden
If the time is right for selling your house, don’t miss these 7 professional real estate tips to help you get your house ready before you list!
Getting a house ready to sell can be overwhelming, especially for first time sellers. You might be wondering where to even start. The simplest and most effective way to prepare your home to list is by putting yourself into the shoes of potential buyers. Imagine you’re looking for a home and walk through your own home with a pen and paper and make notes. What do you see when you drive up? What’s your first impression? What is it about your home that stands out, or what turns you off? The answers to these questions are going to help you prepare to list your home, especially combined with the help of our expert agents.
Selling Your House: 7 Things to do Before You List
1. Hire a REALTOR®
At the very beginning of this process, it is wise to contact a REALTOR®. The Columbus Team has the experience and education needed to help home sellers optimize their efforts toward the best possible sale outcome. Your agent will work with you before your home goes on the market to help prepare the property for optimal sale and to help you make good choices about upgrades and other things to do before selling. The Columbus Team also offers our free House Coaching service to help home sellers take all the necessary steps to purge, pack, and paint to maximize their bottom line when selling.
2. Declutter and deep clean your house
Nothing will turn away a potential buyer faster than a bad smell or a cluttered room. Before you list your home, declutter your house by packing non-essential living items. You should also consider doing a deep clean of your home. This includes everything from mopping the floors to cleaning the curtains. Whether you do this yourself, or hire a cleaning service, it is important for your house to be fresh, clean, and free of clutter.
3. Make small changes, not big upgrades
Many first-time sellers mistakenly assume it’s the big changes that sell the house. With costly upgrades, sellers often end up putting more money into their house than they will get back. Instead of a complete remodel, you should instead invest in smaller updates that will help you sell. This can include things like fresh coats of paint, updating pulls and knobs, and changing light fixtures in bathrooms and kitchens. Small changes make for big results. The Columbus Team REALTORS® are always happy to provide insight into what projects to focus on to improve your bottom line when it’s time to sell.
4. Check curb appeal
When buyers drive up to your home, the first thing they see is the front of your home. Now is the time to make a big impact with some small changes. Keep the lawn trimmed, don’t let the shrubs grow too high, and keep weeds out of the flower garden. Paint the front door a bold shade of red or blue that goes with your house but makes it stand out at the same time. Pressure wash the driveway and walkway, and clean up the house. You want buyers to see it shine from start to finish. The first impression sets the tone for the rest of their tour of your home.
5. Hire a professional photographer
Having high-quality photos of your home is an essential part of the selling process. Now more than ever people are searching for homes online and doing online tours. If you don’t have well-done, professional pictures of your house, then it may get overlooked by buyers. Fortunately, The Columbus Team provides amazing high-quality photography and video tours to highlight our listings.
6. Stage your home
Before putting your house on the market, your agent will probably suggest you “stage” your home. While this may sound difficult, it is actually a very simple process. It includes steps like getting rid of excess furniture, removing personal items, and adding fresh flowers to rooms. You should also make sure to open your blinds and turn all your lights on. Buyers like bright spaces and it makes it easier to see your home. Your agent is an expert at this process and will help ensure your home looks perfect for its first showing. Just remember that details sell homes. The Columbus Team REALTORS® offer free home staging from our amazing House Coach for all of our clients.
7. Set a realistic price
Pricing your house right is one of the most important steps of the selling process. It is also one that can be the most daunting, especially for first-time sellers. This is where our expert agents come in. They will take you through the process of pricing your home. This includes things like looking at comparable sales in your neighborhood. Your agent will also look at the housing market trends in your area to see if prices are moving up or down. This information will help you accurately decide the right price for your house.
We hope the 7 things to do before you list will help you with selling your house quickly and profitably. If you’d like even more information on selling your home, don’t miss our Ultimate Guide to Selling a Home in Columbus Ohio.