Selling your home can be a difficult and stressful process, but we’ve put together 17 tips that can help ease the pain of selling your home. By following these simple instructions, you can make your home more appealing to potential buyers.

DECLUTTER & CLEAN

This might seem like a no-brainer, but decluttering and cleaning your home is, well, a no-brainer.  Spend one of your days off really deep cleaning your home.  Make sure that it looks move-in-ready because that’s exactly how we want buyers to see your house.  A big part of this move-in-ready feel is to make sure that it isn’t cluttered.  This could also be a good time for you to go through some of your things and get rid of what you don’t need anymore.  Trust me, this will make your life easier come moving day!

MINOR REPAIRS = MAJOR RETURNS

Minor repairs could consist of many things such as patching cement cracks, caulking your windows, fixing a damaged banister, etc. but these fixes go a long way in helping your house to sell.  Having lived in your home for presumably many years, you probably don’t even notice many of these small repairs anymore, but a new homebuyer will.  Do a walk-through of your home and take note of all small repairs you can make, then get to work.  It’ll pay off in the end.

TIDY UP THE LANDSCAPING

We all know the importance of first impressions, and your landscaping is a big part of your homes first impression.  You don’t have to have a green thumb to make your yard look presentable.  There are plenty of ways to boost your homes curb appeal without hiring a professional landscaper.  Make sure your weeds are pulled, the grass is mowed, trees/bushes are trimmed, edge your sidewalk etc.  However, if your front yard looks like the Amazon Rainforest, you might want to consider hiring a professional.

PARKING

Parking goes along with curb appeal.  If the potential buyer shows up to your home and can’t find a place to park, this gives a bad first impression.  If possible, keep the street parking in front of your home available.  Also, make sure that any extra vehicles are removed from your driveway.  Consider parking at a friend’s house or somewhere down the street so if need be, your potential buyers can park in the driveway with no problems.

PRESSURE WASH YOUR SIDEWALKS & DECKS

Continuing with the curb appeal of your home, you might want to consider renting a pressure washer and cleaning up your sidewalks and decks.  A quick clean of your main entrance can help a lot with the first impression of the buyers.  Pressure washers are pretty cheap to rent and well worth the cost!

MAKE YOUR HOME SMELL NICE

We don’t want to have a good first impression turn sour if your home doesn’t smell fresh.  Your deep clean should help to eliminate most odors, but make sure to light a few mild candles.  Don’t overpower them with super strong scents, but make sure that your home smells nice.

FRESH COAT OF PAINT

Neutral colors are best when trying to sell your home.  Not only do they make the home appear brighter, but it also allows the buyers to see the house as a blank canvas that they can paint how they see fit.

UPDATE ANY OUTDATED FIXTURES

Updating fixtures can give your home a new, rejuvenated look for potentially very little money.  Consider updating some basics like doors knobs and light switch covers, but also consider replacing some slightly more expensive fixtures like ceiling fans and faucets if need be.  This will obviously all depend on how new your current fixtures are, but if your fixtures look outdated, it’s time to replace them.

DON’T OVERPERSONALIZE

We want the buyer to be able to see themselves living in your home.  If there are too many pictures of you and your family everywhere, it can make them feel too much like a guest in someone else’s home.  We want them to feel like they’re in THEIR new home. It’s ok to have a few pictures here and there, but keep it to a minimum.

DON’T UNDERPERSONALIZE

On the other hand, we don’t want to depersonalize the home so much that it doesn’t appear comforting or “homey”.  Again, keep it to a minimum.

IMPROVE YOUR LIGHTING

This tip can also be tied into updating your fixtures, but improving your lighting is something that can improve your home.  Go check your patio lights.  Are they yellow and smoky looking?  We need to fix that.  Also, make sure that you don’t have any burnt out lightbulbs anywhere in your home.  If need be, you may also need to replace some old or outdated hallway lights or sconces.  Light and bright makes the price seem right! (OK, I apologize for how cheesy that last sentence was)

FLOWERS

Not only will flowers help make your home smell nice, but they also make your home appear brighter and more welcoming.  You don’t have to go overboard, but maybe a nice bouquet on the dining room table or coffee table.  Also, consider placing one small flower in a vase in the main bathroom.

NOT EVERYBODY LOVES PETS

As much as we pet owners absolutely adore our furry family members, not everyone shares our sentiment.  Some people may be allergic to pets, so having dog beds or litter boxes in plain view may throw them into panic mode.  Make sure that your pets are removed from the house if at all possible.  Also, consider moving all of your pets toys, beds, litter boxes, etc. into a closet in the basement or tucked away somewhere out of sight in the garage.

KITCHEN & BATHROOM FACELIFT

For many buyers, the kitchen and bathrooms will make or break a deal.  Make sure to give these two rooms the attention they need.  Consider adding new toilet seats, shower curtains, faucets, etc. in order to boost the appeal of your bathrooms.  Your kitchen could be a bit more costly, but make sure your cabinets are up to par, and if it’s within your budget, you might need to upgrade your appliances.  This might seem costly now, but these rooms are critical to the sale of your home.

OPEN YOUR CURTAINS

This is a simple yet very effective way to make your home appear brighter.  By simply opening all of your curtains and blinds, this will help ensure that all possible natural lighting is pouring through your home.  If you have vertical blinds, make sure they’re pulled all the way open to the sides.  For mini blinds, draw them all the way up to the top of the window.

STEAM CLEAN YOUR CARPETS

Steam cleaning your carpets is a relatively cheap way to make your home appear more fresh and clean.  Especially if you have pets, you’ll want to get your carpets cleaned to help with any stains or pet odors.  You can either hire a professional to come clean your carpets for you, or if you’d prefer to save a few bucks and do it yourself, places like Home Depot have carpet cleaning equipment for rent.

MAKE SURE YOUR HOME IS PRICED RIGHT

Last but not least is the price of your home.  If it’s overpriced it can sit on the market for months, but if it’s underpriced, you could be losing some of your hard earned equity.  Naturally, you’re going to be biased towards the value of your home, that’s why it’s important to get a professional real estate agent to help you out.  Selling your home is a huge undertaking and trying to do it all yourself can be extremely stressful.  Make sure your home is priced right and your life will be a lot easier.

TIME TO SELL YOUR HOME

Hopefully these tips will help your home sell quickly and for the price you deserve.  If you need help selling your home, contact Redefy Real Estate today.  We’ll sell your home for a flat fee of $2500 and we offer you the full service of any traditional agent.  Much like the tips above, our goal is to sell your home fast and keep your equity where it belongs…in your pocket!

Read more helpful articles on the Redefy blog!