Preparing Your Home For Sale

Tips for Sellers

It is important that your home showcases to it’s best potential for all showings and open houses so that all buyers are left with a positive, lasting impression of your home. Prior to putting your home on the market, consider a few of these tips  to help you realize the most profit on your investment and achieve a timely sale.

Depersonalize:

Potential Buyers need to be able to envision themselves living in your home. Removing personal photos, trinkets and everyday household items help will help them do so. Start detaching from your emotional connection to your home and help it showcase to its best potential. Your efforts will be rewarded in your selling price!

Consider: Remove valuable personal items, securing they are safe while prospective buyers are viewing your home.

Declutter and organize

Bringing order to each room in your home helps to maximize the square footage, which is a selling feature to most buyers.

Consider:

• Closets: arrange clothes in similar colour schemes for visual appeal. Remove off-season items and ensure doors open and close with ease.
• Kitchen: The cupboards and fridge will be opened on viewings, make sure they showcase well – dishes stacked neatly and pantry items organized.
• Garage/Shed: Rearrange items to enhance storage space, discard items not needed in the upcoming months.e interior of a home benefits from a fresh coat of paint every five years or so. If you have not done so recently, consider applying a fresh, neutral coat of paint. It communicates that your home is well maintained, move-in ready and will help maximize your selling price.
• Storage Locker: Declutter throughout your home and consider renting a storage locker to store seasonal items, personal items, and those not used regularly.

Clean:

A clean home gives the impression of a well maintained home to prospective buyers. Hire a professional cleaner, if needed, to bring back the sparkle into all areas of your home.

Consider: Cleaning out under the kitchen sink, scrubbing the grout on tile floors/backsplash, cleaning the inside of refrigerator, washing all windows and blinds. 

Repair:

If there are any maintenance items around your home that could use a quick fix, now is the time!  An inspection of your home will reveal any items in need of repair or replacement. It is better to have these items taken care of now so that Buyer’s do not feel they can further reduce the price of your home to budget for these issues in the future.

Replace:

Are there items that you do not want to have passed on to the buyer - an expensive light fixture, antique or expensive appliance, for example? It is a classic case of wanting what we cannot have – help to avoid a potential problems and disappointment by changing out these items prior to putting your house on the market.

Flooring:

Consistently one of the top selling features of a home is quality flooring. It is a great return on your investment and quickly updates any home, giving it the ‘move-in ready’ look many buyers are after.

Consider:

• Carpet: Arrange for a steam-clean prior to listing your home to bring back the vibrancy
• Hardwood: Sand, re-stain or replace, if needed
• Tile: Perhaps replace dated tile in bathroom or entry ways

Pets:

Not all potential buyers have an affinity for pets. During showings, try to make arrangements to have your pet out of your home so they do not distract from the qualities and selling features of your home.

Consider: Remove dog beds, food dishes, and toys during showings and open houses.

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“Kate Miller provided exceptional services and support for both the sale of my house and the purchase of my new home. Although there was a lot of inventory available at the time, she helped to sell my house in less than a month at almost full listing price. She was also tireless in helping me find a new home. Kate is hands on, encouraging, a good listener & communicator and always available for addressing questions and/or concerns. What was a difficult step for me became, thanks to Kate’s expert advice and knowledge, a very positive experience. Kate Miller is a true professional.”
– Irene Aschwanden