You might have heard it before, but small changes can make a huge difference for interested buyers and help sell your house fast. People are often not quite as good at using their imagination as you would like. You can do a lot to help the sale on its way by making small changes around your home.
Use our 8 easy tips to prepare your home for potential buyers and hopefully sell your house faster:
1. First of all declutter
Yep – you guessed it! The first place to start when preparing your home for a showing is to tidy and declutter all your stuff. Depersonalize your home a bit by removing some of your knick-knack.
Quick tip: You are probably not going to be home during the showing so just take all your clutter with you. Instead of stuffing all your things into your closets and cabinets, take a basket or an empty laundry basket and collect everything that makes your home seem too busy and cluttered. Store the basket in your car during the showing. It is an easy way to declutter without having to spend more than 10 minutes.
Get more tips on tidying your home
2. A good thorough cleaning
Here you clean everything – kitchen cabinets, decalcify the showerhead, organize your closet and so on. Sounds fun, right? Maybe not but the idea is that it only has to be this thorough one time. Of course, you will have to tidy up a bit before every showing but the in-depth cleaning will make this process much easier.
3. Always clean your kitchen and bathroom
Some rooms should always appear clean and tidy for a showing. So in lack of time start with cleaning your bathroom and kitchen. These are the most valuable rooms in a house. They are worth the most per square foot and can make the difference when buyers are in doubt. Therefore, as minimum make sure that both look clean and presentable.
4. Light up your home
It is a good idea to maximize your home to appear bigger than it is. A real estate agent rarely hears complaints that there is too much space in a house or an apartment. Do so by placing lamps in the dark corners of your home to make the rooms appear bigger. It draws the eye to the corners making sure that the room’s full potential is displayed.
5. Clean windows inside and out
The goal is to light up your home and there is no better source than the sun. It is always nice with a house showing on a sunny day but not if it highlights windows filled with dirt and greasy fingerprints.
6. Remove bad odors
Bad smells can be a big turn off for prospective buyers. Don’t just cover up the smells; fix the source of the smell. Clear drains, wash bins, open windows, air the kitchen from old cooking smells and get rid of furniture that is embedded with cigarette smoke.
7. Welcome buyers with a pleasant smell
You probably think we are going to recommend you to have your home smelling of freshly baked bread or cake for every showing but don’t you worry - we are not. A good idea is to brew some coffee. It is much less time consuming than baking a cake but will still make your home smell nice and homely.
8. Decorate with fresh flowers, fresh herbs and plants
This tip is a two-in-one. Fresh flowers and herbs will make your home smell wonderful while and at the same time, they bring color, life and light to a room.
Alternatively, “cheat” and buy artificial plants that will last through all the house showings.
The tips above are all small and inexpensive changes that you can do yourself. The time you spend preparing your home for a showing will probably be time well spent. Nevertheless, ask your real estate agent for input and tips to smaller and bigger changes that might increase the value of your home or help sell it faster.
What other tips would you recommend for the preparation of a home for showings? Please share with us in the comments.
