6 Steps to Prepare Your House for Selling
Life is a set of unexpected twists and turns of fate. And sometimes, they come with even more unforeseen changes – such as selling your house. Whether you have decided to move to another neighborhood or city or perhaps even a country, or you have other reasons to move, one thing remains clear. You want to get the best deal possible when selling your house.
Thus, if you want to find your house on a list of houses for sale in Jackson, MS, or anywhere else in the US, you should know how to prepare your house for selling. In this article, you will learn 6necessary steps to do it, including decluttering your house, depersonalizing it, organizing storage spaces, making minor repairs, and some more. Read on to make your house ready for sale!
Declutter Your House
Decluttering is the most critical step you should take when preparing your house for selling. If you don’t, your home will look messy and will lack a sense of coziness and security. As a result, potential buyers will be more likely to reject it as a suitable option for them.
The best solution for decluttering your entire home is to start from the basement and work your way up. Start packing items you consider unnecessary, or you haven’t used in years. Don’t neglect the kitchen and your garage – usually the most cluttered places in the house. So, clean your kitchen cabinets – you may find some old spices or cooking utensils in there, which are no longer helpful for you.
Also, decluttering means taking care of the stuff that occupies space unproductively. Maybe you have a pile of boxes from old clothes and shoes that you never wear but can’t throw away for some reason.
Depersonalize Your House
Once you’ve cleared out the rooms in your house, you can move to the next step: depersonalizing. It’s time to think about what reminders of yourself are scattered around your home and take action to remove them. You can start with your bedroom and office.
Ensure that your bedroom looks tidy and organized, pack all unnecessary things in storage spaces, and keep only the essential items that can potentially help someone fall in love with your house.
The same goes for your office. Declutter old papers, such as bills and invoices from previous years, and organize your bookshelves. However, you also will have to put away books and collectibles meaningful to you, items about your career, hobbies, passions, etc. Thus, potential buyers will be able to imagine their future lives in a new home easier.
Organize Your Storage Spaces
Another thing you should do before selling your house is organizing all storage spaces around it – especially the garage. A garage is often a place where people store unnecessary things (old furniture, clothes, sports equipment, etc.) that occupy space and create an unpleasant atmosphere in your home.
Usually, potential buyers want to check the storage spaces available in the house. So, in order to avoid misunderstandings with them about the state of some storage spaces, take time to declutter and organize these spaces properly. Pack things you don’t need anymore into boxes and put them into storage spaces out of sight for potential buyers.
Make Minor Repairs
Your house should be in excellent condition before selling it – minor repairs go a long way towards making it more attractive and giving it a good impression on potential buyers. You should do some maintenance tasks even if they don’t seem necessary at first glance – it will make your home look more appealing overall.
For example, if there are no cracks or holes in the walls but paint is peeling off or chipping off here and there anyway, you should get rid of it before showing your house to a buyer. Minor repairs can also include fixing a squeaky door or cleaning a dirty air conditioner filter – anything that could make a buyer feel uncomfortable or dissatisfied upon entering your home.
Stage Your House for Sale
Staging your house for sale means making it as attractive as possible to potential buyers. This is best done by setting up a few rooms or areas in your home where you can display items that would be of interest to potential buyers, such as a finished room or a new countertop. This will give them an idea of how the rest of the house looks and help them decide whether this is the house they want to buy.
You should start with the most critical areas of your home that could attract buyers’ attention – these are usually the kitchen and the living room. When decorating them, don’t forget about small details that could make a huge difference – for example, arranging bookshelves, placing pictures on the walls, adding some flowers that smell great, etc. You should also make sure that all furniture in the living room is arranged correctly and doesn’t look messy.
Get Ready for Open House
Once your house is prepped for the show, there’s one more step you should do before selling it – organize an open house. It will give potential buyers a chance not only to see your home but also to get acquainted with the layout, architecture, and decoration inside it. It’s an excellent opportunity for them to figure out whether they could actually live in your home or not.
To make the open house a success, you should make sure that your house looks absolutely perfect on that day. Turn on all lights inside and outside of your home, clean it from top to bottom, take out all unnecessary items, and make sure that the kitchen is neat and clean.
Also, think about how you will address potential buyers – it’s best not to be too pushy or aggressive. Instead, let them explore your home freely and answer their questions whenever necessary.
In Conclusion
Preparing your house for selling is a long process that requires lots of work and patience – but the results are guaranteed! With this article, we’ve tried to give you some basic rules to follow when preparing your house for selling.
Hopefully, now you can make a good impression on potential buyers. This way, you’ll make sure that your house is in good shape and sell it at the price you want to.
