Five Tips Before You List

Congrats, you’ve decided to sell your home. I guess it’s time to just slap a FOR SALE sign up on the front lawn and let the real estate agent do the rest, right?

Hey, no problem. I got you covered. However, might I suggest a few small items that can help you earn top dollar on your sale?

Simply put, a little elbow grease can work wonders.

If you want to elicit the “WOW Factor” from buyers as they tour through your home (side note: you want this), consider the following five items that will prepare your home for sale.

A Coat of Fresh Paint

Nothing freshens up a room faster without breaking the budget than a fresh coat of paint. You may also want to patch up a few of those dings and dents from moving around furniture, vacuuming, or simply put, kids. You can pick up a squeeze tube of drywall filler for less than $10 at Target or Home Depot. All you need to do is sand it down and paint over it when you’re done.

Recaulk (or deep clean) the bathroom

Similar to freshening up with paint, recaulking around the sinks and tubs in your bathrooms will add a nice, fresh look to the room and keep judgmental eyes away from that grimy buildup from resting water and soap. You can find a bunch of how-to tutorials on how to recaulk online, and a fresh bottle shouldn’t cost more than $10. Just remember: make sure any areas you caulk are thoroughly dried before applying. You definitely don’t want to trap moisture underneath.

De-Clutter

Anything that’s not making the move with you needs to go. This covers everything from items in your closet, to small kitchen appliances (blenders, microwaves, that fifth serving spoon), and especially furniture. After all, why would you take that couch with you if you’re never going to use it? Now’s the time to put that thing on the curb, not the day of the move.

Landscape

Now that you’ve taken care of the inside, it’s time to focus on outdoors. “Curb appeal” is a term thrown around often in real estate. This is your chance to make a strong first impression. When a potential buyer rolls up to the front door, you want them thinking “wow” before they even step foot into the house, and since you’ve already taken care of the inside, hopefully that sentiment will carry over throughout the tour. Give that lawn a fresh cut (especially the day before the open house), trim back the trees/bushes, throw down some fresh mulch ($2 – $3 per bag), and weed the garden. Half a day’s work will go a long way in selling your home.

Set the “what’s next?” game plan

What is your plan for when the home sells? Are you upsizing or downsizing? Have you even started looking? If moving into an apartment, is it contingent upon selling your home, or does it have a hard start to the lease date? These are not the questions you want to begin asking when given a closing date. Instead, start to consider those next steps from the day your home hits the market. Sometimes clients get so wrapped up in the sale of their own home that they don’t consider where they’re going afterward.