Thinking of selling your house this summer?
There are several steps you can take before putting your home on the market to increase your chances of receiving a solid offer from a buyer. From cleaning and staging to repainting and depersonalizing, here is a list of things to do before you sell your Lafayette area home.
1. Depersonalize your home
When selling a home, you want to strike the perfect balance between depersonalization and creating a warm, welcoming home. This means putting away the majority of framed photos, bulletin boards and personal items (think: photo albums, magazines, toys, equipment, awards, etc) throughout the home. Leave a few nice, framed photos around the house to make the home appear inviting and lived in.
They say familiarity breeds contempt. It’s true — especially when it comes to your lived-in home. Rediscover your home’s charm without major renovations or breaking the bank.
2. Freshen up with paint
Now’s the time to re-paint your home. Paint: Nothing can change the look and feel of a room like a coat of paint. It’ll take a little elbow grease, but it’s totally worth it. Start by painting over those bright orange and green walls with neutral colors. Stick to whites, light grays, light beiges, and “greige” wall colors. These shades will make your home appear bigger, brighter and more welcoming. Adding a fresh coat of paint to your home will also help cover the wall’s imperfections and convey a blank slate to potential buyers. Give your front door a facelift with a fresh coat of paint and a new wreath and doormat.
3. Call a handyman
When selling a house, you should have your handyman on speed dial. Make sure anything and everything that needs to be fixed (think: locks, hardware, leaky faucets, running toilets, cracks in the walls, broken appliances, squeaky doors, etc) has been taken care of before listing a home. Otherwise, buyers may think your home hasn’t been well taken care of, which can be a turn-off for many. For advice on how to find a handyman when you move, contact us.
4. Declutter the home
Decluttering and organizing your space will go a long way in appealing to potential buyers. When a home is clutter-free, buyers are able to focus on the actual home instead of on the junk, knick knacks and overflowing closets. For advice on how to purge your belongings before a move, check here.
5. Simple Updates
Let’s talk about window treatments… it’s time to say goodbye to heavy drapes and hello to modern window dressings. Not sure what you like? Check out Pinterest for inspiration. Cabinetry: grab some modern cabinet pulls or handles to update dated hardware. Remove old caulk and add new. Replace worn out or old bathroom fixtures and lights with more modern ones. Adding new and neutral shower curtains and white towels always give a space a fresh, clean look.
6. Give your house a deep clean
First impressions mean a lot. So don’t let foul smells, dirty floors or dusty surfaces make a bad one on a potential buyer. Before listing your home (and throughout the selling process), give your home a deep clean. This means cleaning toilets, wiping down surfaces, mopping floors, cleaning rugs and scrubbing bathrooms. Consider calling in the professionals (think: Stanley Steamer, Magna Dry and a housekeeper) to ensure that your place is in pristine condition. If you need a list of recommendations, please contact us.
7. Rent a storage unit
Selling a home successfully will involve some decluttering and purging of your belongings. For this reason, go ahead and rent a temporary storage unit before selling your home. Having a self-storage unit nearby will give you somewhere to temporarily place all of your extra stuff when staging and showing the home.
8. Find a listing agent
Speaking of Realtors, we highly recommend enlisting a professional real estate agent to list your home. Using a full time professional Real Estate Team is key and asking for word-of-mouth recommendations is highly advised. When interviewing a listing agent, be sure to ask about their experience, connections to potential buyers, social media expertise, detailed market analysis to view and ask them to show you their detailed marketing plan including what tools they are using to showcase your home during this pandemic. The Realtor should be able to give you a thoroughly laid out plan for how they are going to sell your home.
Ready to move?
So you’ve spruced up your home, put it on the market and sold it. Congrats! Now it’s time to start planning your move. Best of luck and happy moving! Of course, The Romanski Group would love to interview for the job of selling your home!
For up-to-date information on YOUR Indiana area neighborhood or a FREE Seller Consultation – call The Romanski Group at (765) 293.9300. Using an experienced team is the way to get your home SOLD and The Romanski Group would love the opportunity to interview for the job of selling your home.
