Don’t Sell Your House Before Checking Out This Guide First
Are you thinking about putting your home on the market? If so, there are many things that you need to do before you can do this. Potential buyers do not want to move into an unready house. You need to make sure everything is in order before you open your house for people to look around. If your house isn’t what people are looking for and appears to be in a state of disrepair, then you’ll have trouble selling it and you will find it will be on the market for a long time. A home that is well presented will ensure you get the best price possible when you sell your home.
Let’s take a look at four major things that should be at the top of your To-Do List before you sell your house.
Declutter
First, on the list, you should think about decluttering your property. Potential buyers when they look around do not want to see your possessions laying around, they want to envision their own belongings filling the space. Before they come and view your property you should get rid of any stuff you no longer need and put away any items that aren’t relevant to the room it is in. Having people come to look around really is a great excuse for a proper clear-out, have you been meaning to sort that junk drawer or the junk room, now is your chance.
It may seem daunting but there is a great way to declutter. Go room to room and sort your stuff into three different piles. Your three piles should consist of keep, throw away and sell. This is a great way of realizing how much stuff you actually have, potentially stuff you have had years but never got round to sorting. While you are sorting your piles you could start packing items up in boxes that you know you won’t need until you move into your new place. You can hold a garage or yard sale for the belongings that end up in the sell pile. This is a great way to pass your stuff on to others who need it and make a little money for the new place.
Deep Clean
Once you have spent some time decluttering it is important you also give your property a thorough deep clean. This is to ensure your property sparkles and smells nice when potential buyers come to look around. They are looking for any reason not to buy your property so if something is out of place or not looking clean they will be put off buying your house.
If you don’t want to clean the house yourself or you are not able to, you can consider hiring professional help. A Fort Worth house cleaning service will be able to send one or two people over to clean your property top to bottom and they will do an excellent job. Ensure you read up and check reviews before you contact cleaning companies just to make sure you’re getting the best service.
Similar to decluttering you should go room by room and spend a good amount of time making sure there is no dust or debris left in that room. You should especially focus on areas that you wouldn’t normally clean. Focus on skirting boards and oven hoods that gather dust really quickly and are usually missed in the weekly cleans. Another top tip is to make sure you wipe around the sides of the bath and shower to ensure these have no black mold spots forming. This is something that especially puts buying off if they see a dirty kitchen or bathroom. You should ensure floors are hoovered and mopped or hoovered and steam cleaned. You should get the hoover up to the ceiling as well, nobody wants to see cobwebs floating around when they look at your home.
If you don’t want to clean the house yourself or you are not able to, you can consider hiring professional help. A cleaning company will be able to send one or two people over to clean your property top to bottom and they will do an excellent job. Ensure you read up and check reviews before you contact cleaning companies.
Repairs
It is important to remember that not many people are interested in fixer-uppers and if your house needs many repairs that is what it is. A high percentage of buyers are looking to buy somewhere that is ‘move-in ready’.
Does your house have repairs that have been put on the back burner for a while, now is the time to sort them out before people come and take a look around. Repairs really do need to be conducted as buyers will send over a surveyor to check out your house before they commit fully to buying it and anything serious that crops up on the survey could lose you a sale.
One thing to make sure that is totally fixed and in one piece is the roof, if this has any holes or has been leaking recently then you must get it repaired. Leaking roofs can lead to more serious problems such as dampness and mold so the sooner you get it fixed the better. Cracks in walls and ceilings should also be repaired, this makes your house appear as though you haven’t looked after it so filling in cracks and painting over them will ensure your home is looking as good as new.
Curb Appeal
Finally, you need to ensure your home looks good from the outside. Potential buyers who come to check out your home will see the exterior of the property first before they even take a look inside. If they don’t like the look from the outside then they will be reluctant to take a look inside. It has been known for buyers to do a drive-by look just to get a feel for the property, and if they haven’t liked it they have canceled the viewing. You need to be sure the outside of your home matches the inside.
Ensure you take care of any weeds in your front garden, mow the lawn and focus on how the house looks from the outside. A great thing to do here is to go outside your property and act as if you were the buyer and see what they will see or get a friend or relative to do the same thing.
One thing you need to be sure looks like from the outside is your windows and any fixtures you have around them. If you have shutters and they are looking a bit disheveled you will either need to fix them or replace them. If you think it is best to replace them, you can do so by taking a look at this website. New shutters will also brighten up the place and ensure it is nice and welcoming.
We hope this helps you understand what needs to be done in order for you to get a good sale on your house at a great price.
