If this is the first time you’re selling your home and moving, the whole process can seem a bit overwhelming. Don’t beat yourself up – it’s perfectly normal to feel confused and not know where to start. Many homeowners feel pretty insecure about the property they are about to sell and start stressing about every little flaw in their home. Luckily, this post comes to the rescue – you can use it as a checklist to help you get your house ready to sell and be a star on the local market. From cleaning, minor fixes, and depersonalization, we’ll guide you, step by step, through this process to your final goal – a fast and successful sale.
Table of contents
Start with decluttering
Decluttering is probably the most important step of the process. It’s the initial step that clears up the home so you can proceed to depersonalization, fixes, and touch-ups. Decluttering will also help you move – it’s easier to pack and unpack if you only deal with useful, necessary items without clutter. We recommend you start room by room, and hit the most cluttered areas first. The length of the process will depend on the size of your home, but we’re sure these tips will help you be as organized and systematic as possible:
- Choose an efficient method – you can go room by room, or category by category, it’s your call. Just have a system and stick to it for maximum efficiency. Don’t try to do everything at once – dedicate an hour or two each day so you don’t get overwhelmed and lost in the process.
- Sort into three piles: donate, keep, toss. This will help you pack later on and deal with the unnecessary stuff more efficiently.
- Declutter kitchen area – kitchens often collect most of the clutter, so be sure to deal with excess kitchen gadgets, stained linens, damaged plates, glasses, and cups, outdated foods and spices. Extra tip: go through your food and organize meals until your moving day, so you can use most of it up and don’t need to pack or toss it away.
- Hit the wardrobes – clothes often take up so much space for no reason. Plenty of items you own are probably no longer useful – they are either stained or torn, too small or too big, or simply worn out. Deal with all the clothes and linens, and see if you can let some of it go. Extra tip: use old towels and other textiles for packing – protect fragile items by wrapping them up.
- Miscellaneous – you can make your move a lot simpler and less expensive by decluttering home goods that are no longer needed. Old cables, outdated décor, unfinished projects, old paint, unused samples, broken toys – there’s plenty you don’t need, especially if you’re expecting a potential buyer.
Not sure where to put all the personal items? If you don’t have a new home ready, renting a storage unit is a great solution to keeping all your personal items while selling the old home. It’s a safe way to keep all your belongings away when staging and showing your home to potential buyers.
Cleaning the inside of your home
Giving your house a deep clean will surely make a great first impression on a potential buyer. There’s nothing more inviting than a fresh home that smells great. It’s a step you shouldn’t skip if you want to get your home ready for sale. Here are the most important steps in deep cleaning your property before selling:
- Walls and ceilings – dust and wipe all the walls, remove stains or fingerprints. Don’t forget moldings, baseboards, and trim, and be sure to remove all the cobwebs from the corners.
- Floors – depending on the type of floors you have, be sure to give them a good clean. For carpets, be sure to vacuum them properly, remove any stains, and refresh them with shampoo. For tiles and floors, use appropriate solutions to polish and mop, so they regain their shine. Floors are a very important aspect of every home, so be sure to make yours shine.
- Windows, mirrors, and other glass surfaces – glass surfaces show dirt and stains more quickly than others, so be sure to give them a proper clean. Wash windows both inside and outside to maximize natural light, and wipe all other glass surfaces for maximum shine. Mirrors, glass partitions, chandeliers, decorative glass countertops, shower glass walls, etc. Use proper cleaning solutions that leave no streaks and an appropriate cloth.
- Bathroom – deep clean your bathroom by scrubbing the tub, sink, toilet, and also focusing on grout and tiles. Clean the fixtures to bring their shine back, add some nice candles or air fresheners, and hide any personal toiletries.
- Kitchen – if you’ve decluttered your kitchen properly, cleaning shouldn’t be that complicated. Start with washing the dishes and putting them back in cupboards, and then proceed to wiping countertops, cleaning the appliances both inside and outside (particularly oven, fridge, and microwave), replacing the kitchen towels with some new ones, disinfecting the sink, and wiping the cabinet doors. A clean kitchen looks homey and inviting, and will surely be an advantage when selling your property.
- Improve the air quality – dust and clean all the air vents and the ceiling fans in your home,and let the fresh air in, with no dust or bad smell.
Depersonalization
This is a very important step in making your home an attractive item on the local real estate market. Removing personal items allows potential buyers to envision themselves in the space, and it helps you create a neutral space where almost everyone can fit in. Depersonalization helps you remove the feeling of roaming through a stranger’s home for the buyers, reduces distractions, highlights the property’s best features, enhances marketability, and finally protects the privacy of your family. Depersonalization includes a couple of steps:
- Remove family photos, awards, portraits, and similar items. Personal items can bother potential sellers and prevent them from visualizing their own space.
- Tone down your personal taste in décor – natural décor items should prevail when you’re selling, so be sure to remove all the unique pieces that show your personal décor style.
- Pack personal collections – religious and political items, sports memorabilia, and any personal collection you might have- before buyers come to see the property.
- Hide away cables, figurines, and other knick-knacks – invest in nice storage boxes for a clean look.
- Don’t forget the smell – make sure there’s minimal smell of your family in the house. This also includes the pet smell, strong cooking smell, etc. Deep cleaning your home will help, but also investing in neutral air fresheners, fresh flowers, or scented candles. Realtors recommend the smell of ‘fresh laundry’, lavender, and citrus smells, but try not to overuse them.
- Keep walls neutral – selling a home usually requires a fresh coat of paint on the walls, especially if you’ve used bright or bold colors. Repaint them with neutral colors and let the buyer decide on the style later on.
Staging
You want to create a ‘hotel-like’ atmosphere and stage your home to make it feel more welcoming and ready to move in. Here are some of the most important staging tips:
- Let the light in – maximize natural light by removing heavy curtains and cleaning the windows. Also, ensure all the light fixtures work and all the broken light bulbs are replaced.
- Maximize floor space and improve traffic flow by rearranging the furniture.
- Make sure all the house plants are refreshed and alive – remove all the dead leaves and branches, and give plants a good shower.
- Add some decorative pillows and a blanket on the sofa for extra coziness and a welcoming feel.
- Let the walls breathe – clear the wall space by removing personal photos, but also unnecessary art and posters.
- Make a good first impression – your entrance is the first thing a buyer sees, so make it appealing. Replace the door mat, remove old shoes, add a fresh coat of paint on the front door, and clean the porch.
Extra tip: If you’re not sure if your staging techniques will work, hire a professional to help you out. A skilled home stager can professionally assess your home’s features and give you recommendations based on experience in getting homes ready for sale. Request a consultation and see if you can showcase your home in the best light possible.
Do the necessary repairs
Small repairs around the house can greatly improve your home’s marketability and increase the offers. No matter how small a problem is, make sure to fix it before buyers start looking at your home. Leaky faucets, loose locks and door knobs, cracks in the walls, squeaky doors and windows, broken appliances, broken lights – all these details can show you off as a seller who hasn’t taken care of their property and decrease its value. Be a step ahead of this and do the necessary fixes – by yourself or simply call a handyman to sort it all out.
Don’t forget the curb appeal
When buyers come to see your home, they will first notice the outside and make their first impression based on it. That’s why you need to pay close attention to the curb appeal of the property you’re trying to sell, making sure buyers will want to enter and see the inside as well. Here are some things you can do to improve the curb appeal of your home before selling it.
Cleaning
If you step out and take a closer look at your home, you’ll probably start noticing all the things that could use a bit of freshening up. Use a power wash to clean the exterior, including siding, driveway, bricks, walkways, etc. Make sure you clean the gutter, wash doors and windows, and tidy up your backyard – remove all the dead leaves, twigs, cobwebs, and any trash that might have been left on the grass.
Touch up the greenery
The curb appeal of any property depends on the amount of surrounding greenery and its condition. Get some time to mow the lawn and trim all the trees and bushes where necessary. Remove any weeds and excess plants, and if possible, add some fresh plants and flowers for extra color and appeal.
Paint, fixtures, and hardware refreshment
You might have gotten used to the old mailbox or house number of the years, but replacing them with new items will certainly add to the attractive look of a home. Another inexpensive touch-up that means a lot is adding a fresh coat of paint to the front door – try a welcoming, distinctive color that matches the house exterior. Do the necessary repairs of any peeling paint, but also things like light fixtures, loose fence, and other small improvements that will certainly show you’ve taken good care of your home before selling.
Don’t forget home photography
We said indeed that the buyer’s first impression is when they step in front of your home. But is it really like that? The reason they actually want to take a look at your home will be the online presentation and the photos of the property. To make those stand out, hire a professional real estate photographer who will know how to capture your home’s best features in these photos, catch all the good angles and features, and ensure the online presentation is convincing and attractive.
Ready to move? We’ve got you!
Once your home is ready to sell, you can start preparing for the move, as it won’t take long to attract a buyer if you’ve followed all the steps we mentioned above. And when it happens, our moving team will support this action and ensure your belongings are relocated safely and efficiently. They can help you move, load, and unload your furniture, take care of the fragile items the best way possible, and ensure you’ve got no headache about the process.
Contact the ZIP team today for any upcoming move!
