Getting Your Home Market Ready
If you made the decision to sell yesterday and you are already writing your listing, you may want to press the pause button for a minute. There is little chance that your home is ready to be listed immediately. There is a little prep work involved in getting your home market ready.
- Focus on the 3Ds – A few of the first things you need to do is declutter, depersonalize, and decorate. Depersonalization means removing family photos, awards, personalized decorative items, etc. Decluttering is basically tidying up and making sure everything has a place. Now is a good time to donate, sell, or give away anything you don’t need. As for decorating, keep things simple. Decide what you need to make the room more attractive. Maybe it is just a new rug or curtains.
- Plan Remodels and Repairs – If you have browsed similar listings in your area and found that most other homes have remodeled baths or granite-drenched kitchens, it may be in your best interest to do a little remodeling to be competitive. There are probably some repairs you have been meaning to get to that you should take care of, too, such as fixing the window screens your cat insists on clawing or replacing the baseboard your dog chewed.
- Deep Clean – Clean like your life depends on it. Your house will be judged from floor-to-ceiling, so everything needs to be spotless. You will also need to create a game plan to keep it clean, so it’s always ready to show.
- Improve Curb Appeal – The first impression of your home is the one buyers get as soon as they pull up to your home. Curb appeal needs to be a focus. Pull the weeds, cut the grass, and deadhead spent flowers. You might want to add some solar lights, if you don’t already have some. Interested parties usually drive by at different times of the day to check out the home before they show any interest, so it should offer curb appeal at night, as well.
- Hire an Agent – Since hiring an agent may take a while, you may want to start the interview process as soon as you decide to sell.
Thinking about everything that needs to be done to get your home market ready to sell can make you feel pretty overwhelmed. There is a lot to do, but if you write a checklist and mark tasks off as they are finished then you can focus on small projects rather than the overall process; this make the entire market ready process a lot less intimidating.