Tips to Sell Your Home
Deciding to your sell your home is a big decision, getting it market-ready doesn’t have to be. Even the most well-kept home can use a few tweaks to allow it to show its very best and increase its value. Following Castline’s staging tips to sell your home, your house can easily be market-ready, without spending a lot of time and money.
Home Staging
Begin your home staging process by walking through your property as if viewing your home through a buyer’s lenz. This can be really eye-opening to that little crack in the wall you’ve gotten used to, or that funky smell in your bedroom carpet. Try to make your space appeal to a wide range of buyers – ask yourself, would a buyer be able to see themselves in my favorite floral wallpaper kitchen or my bathroom’s original wall tile? Try to envision how an outsider would view your property and make a list of all the little items you want to address.
Hire the Pros
Your Castline broker is an experienced resource for knowing what improvements most appeal to homebuyers. In addition to your agent’s valuable guidance, hiring a professional stager would also be a great way to bring out the best features your home has to offer and help you decide what goes and what stays as you declutter. Additionally, hiring a professional contractor or inspector can really give you insight into potential problems in your home you may not have noticed – like roof, electrical or plumbing issues. Finding these potential problems and repairing them before you are under contract can make a world of difference to your sale.
Fresh, Clean and Bright Spaces
Nothing says ‘welcome home’ better than a fresh coat of neutral color paint and clean, decluttered spaces. Take the time to tidy up closets, clear out toys and put your front door shoe pile back where it belongs. Scrub that shower or tub, make the beds and really let your home sparkle in every space – don’t forget to clean behind every closet door, buyers will open them! This small investment in time and money really makes a huge difference in sharing the very best your home as to offer.
Curb Appeal
A welcoming landscape is always an attractive selling point. If you have the funds to hire a landscaping company this could bring in interested buyers, right as they drive by. If you have a limited budget, you can do a lot of the landscaping yourself- fresh planted or potted flowers from your local garden shop and a well-manicured lawn may be all that is required to highlight the exterior of your home.
Welcoming Front Entry
Nothing could turn off a buyer more than walking up to a messy front entry filled with rotted outdoor toys and 1/2 bags of winter salt. This is a great time to clean up your stoop, replace the broken screen door and paint the peeling spots. Put out some colorful potted plants, perhaps a nice cheery adirondack chair and of course a clean mat – let buyers feel welcome as soon they approach your home.
Pare Down Your Furniture
Many homeowners collect furniture or hand-me-downs over the years that clutter up our rooms, often making them seem smaller. Take stock of your spaces and decide if you have larger pieces of furniture that you can put in storage or part with, so buyers can see how much space your rooms really have to offer.
Tweak the Bathrooms
A great looking bathroom can really help sell your home. Especially if you have an older space, invest a little time and money to ensure these spaces look their very best. Perhaps it’s just fresh towels in the bathroom and a new light fixture or maybe you need to invest in removing old wallpaper and putting up a fresh coat of paint. If budget allows, an updated flooring or countertop can really take a bathroom to a whole new level. Don’t forget to remove your personal items from the countertops, put away the runny toothpaste and clear up your shower shelf. Any small tweaks you can make in the bathroom will really make a difference.
Catch up your Kitchen
The kitchen is a make it or break it space for many buyers. If yours has old, non-working appliances or beat up cabinetry, now is the time to make some budget-friendly choices. Adding in new stainless steel appliances, swapping out a formica countertop for granite or quartz, if it’s affordable, or painting old cabinets with a fresh coat of paint can absolutely help buyers envision themselves in your kitchen. Gleaming sinks, a fresh bowl of fruit and leaving as much open counter as possible, also highlights the workable space in your kitchen. It also never hurts to have freshly baked cookies
A Greener Home
If you have money in your budget, tankless water heaters and other ‘green’ updates such as a whole house fan, are very attractive to buyers and can save you money while you’re selling. Tankless water heaters only heat up the amount of water you need, not a huge tank sitting unused, like the older water heaters.
Useable Storage
Every homeowner desires tons of storage and this is not the time to hide yours. Empty your junk drawers, clear out closets or consider adding in organizer systems or shelving, if budget allows. Declutter garages and crawlspaces so any buyer can find your useable space to store their items. If space is tight, consider using a storage facility for items you may no longer need until you move.
Emotional Factor
Sometimes selecting a home hinges on the buyer’s connection to your space. Don’t discount the emotional appeal of your home. Appealing to the senses in your kitchen can be simply having fresh baked cookies in the air. Fresh cut flowers, pretty hand soaps or a nice scented candle would make other spaces like bedrooms or bathrooms feel colorful, invited and fresh. Removing personal items from the fridge or taking down a few family photos appeals to the visual openness of your space so a buyer can really see their own family in your home. Open the shades, let the natural light pour into every room and change and lightbulbs that are out in case you have an evening showing. Never skimp on electricity or heat when you’re trying to sell – keeping your rooms well lit and at a comfortable temperature allows buyers to feel warm and invited throughout your home.
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