Thinking of selling your home and don’t know where to start in the process?
You’re not alone. Many people have a hard time imagining their home in pristine condition – ready for buyers to march through and view their personal space.
At Paul Rushforth Real Estate, we work with professional stagers and contractors to get your home ready for the market to help you attain the highest amount of money in the least amount of time. We know what selling features buyers look for in a home!
As we’ve said multiple times – less time on the market means more money in your pocket.
We always have our clients envision walking in their front door and doing a walk about as if they were the buyer. We prepare a full report of home selling tips and how to prepare your home for market.
Here are some of the most visible tips we have for you to prepare your home for sale;
- Make sure both your front and back gardens are weeded and manicured with fresh flowers and a clean walkway. Clean up any garbage or dog feces.
- Have your front door painted in a colour suitable for your home exterior. Stay away from your own favourite colours that sometimes don’t match the brick or siding.
- Declutter the main entrance and make sure that all of the hangers match in the closet and that coats are hung and straightened, shoes are assembled, and the closet is clean.
- Don’t use air fresheners. Many people are allergic to them and they can also cause people to suspect that the owner is trying to hide something.
- The living and dining rooms have to be decluttered with clean floors. If floors are stained or worn, it’s best to replace or refinish them prior to sale. Refinishing or replacing your carpets can save you thousands of dollars on a sale. First impressions of a home are lasting impressions. Make the first floor of your home a show piece.
- Replace any broken or differently coloured floor registers. Put new white face plates on your light switches and plugins.
- Clean or replace blinds or drapes. Make the first floor bright and airy. Remove any cobwebs in corners, on fans, or light fixtures.
- Arrange your furniture in such a way that it will invite people to see how the property is meant to be used. For example, if you have made your dining room your living room because you liked to eat by the fireplace, change the room back to be your dining room.
- DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER!!
- Many ask if theses renovations are worth it before selling. If your kitchen is a bit dated, you can give it a quick facelift by painting the cabinets and changing the handles. Add a new backsplash, counter top, new sink, and taps and it may look like a renewed kitchen that the buyer will appreciate for many years down the road.
- Make sure your cupboards are organized and clean. No one likes a dirty kitchen, and no one likes to open up your cupboard doors and see a mess. Remember – people are visual, so make your home appealing every step of the way.
- Make your bathrooms sparkle – clean them from top to bottom. Replace any old towels with new towels. Change any mirrors or lights that have become old or dated. If the vanity is old, you may want to replace it with a special from Home Depot or Rona. Kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. If you have chips in your tub, get in repair people to spray your tub and make it look like new again. Change your taps and update them to the latest look. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN the bathrooms.
- Clean the entire house. Change any dated lights and make sure that closets are decluttered and show their storage space.
- Have your furnace and air conditioning units cleaned and serviced. Make sure you give these receipts to your realtor so they can pass them on to the potential buyer. Looking after your mechanicals sends a signal to the potential buyer that you look after your home. If needed, get new HVAC systems, although this home improvement does not increase the value of your home.
- If it’s time for your roof to be replaced, you may wish to get some quotes to have it replaced before heading to market. No one likes a roof that is in dire need of replacement.
- Clean and repair your eavestroughs, making sure that the spouts drain away from your house.
- Check all of your windows to ensure that they open and don’t have any condensation in them. If they do, contact a window repair company to get them back in working order. People don’t want to replace windows, and if they see that they all work and are clear of condensation, that will give them peace of mind that the windows are in good repair.
- Take all magnets and papers off of your fridge. Clean all appliances and ensure they are in working order. If you need to replace any appliances prior to sale, there are plenty of used appliance places that will swap out old appliances for gently used ones. Working appliances always help to make a quick sale.
- Organize and clean your garage. Make it appear that a car or two can fit in the garage. Take all bottles and cans to the returns centre and ensure that the recycling area is clean and the boxes are sparkling. Get some bike, ladder, and tool hooks to hang everything up. No one likes to view a messy garage. If you smoke in the garage, ensure that it is aired out prior to showing as some people are highly allergic or sensitive to the smell of smoke.
- If your deck or front porch need to be repaired or repainted, do it before the photoshoot. Don’t leave this to the last minute as the realtor doesn’t want to show the exterior half-finished. Paint the decks and porches to match the front door, and make the deck pop with the barbeque on it and the lawn chairs out.
- To end it off, make sure to stage your home with a realtor’s expertise.
At Paul Rushforth Real Estate, we want the first impression of our home to leave a lasting impression on the next owner. We have a list of professional tradespeople that we trust and invite you to reach out to them for quotes and availability to help make your home ready for a quick sale.
