Selling your home is almost always exciting. Cleaning and preparing the home for sale – not so much. It does not have to be overwhelming. If you follow a few basic guidelines, you can turn your house into the hottest home on the market.
1. Pack Away Personal Photos
While it may seem that Christmas photos of your family would make the house feel cozy and full of life, these items can actually distract buyers from the features of the home. Instead of seeing how beautiful your built-in bookshelves are, the potential buyers focus on the photos sitting on the shelf. Do a quick sweep of the home and carefully pack photos in a storage bin until it’s time to move. A bonus: you have at least one box ready for the big move before you even sell the home.
2. Lots of Light
If you don’t have money in your budget for house cleaning, consider hiring someone just to clean the windows. It’s one of the most time consuming (and overlooked) parts of cleaning, and it will make a huge impact when you open those curtains and blinds to let your home shine. Aside from location, the most desired feature for buyers is natural light!
3. Treat Them Like Guests
On your next trip to the grocery store, grab a $15 bouquet on the way out. Throw it in a vase on the kitchen counter, or put it in the entryway on a small table. Many Realtors will even bake fresh cookies in the home when they are having an open house. No time for that? Purchase a dozen fresh cookies for the weekend and plug in a cookie scented air freshener in the kitchen. Anything you might do for a guest is a welcome addition when someone is viewing your home and trying to picture themselves loving and living in it.
4. Walls Matter
You’ve heard it before: give the walls a fresh coat of paint before putting your home on the market. If you don’t have the time or money to paint the whole home, at least paint the entry and main living space and kitchen. If there is a color that may seem abrasive to some (a boy’s lime green bedroom or here in Tennessee a UT Vols orange), be sure to cover that with a nice neutral tone. No one wants to buy a home with a list of things to change if they don’t have to!
5. Closets, Closets, Closets
Here’s a trick for creating space where there might not be much. Pick a closet, and put the contents into three piles – one for giving away, one for pre-packing before the move, and one for keeping in the closet. You will clear out some major space making the closets more appealing to your guests and get some packing done at the same time.
6. Renting Storage Can Save Time and Money
All this pre-packing and clutter clearing may leave you with lots of boxes. What do you do with all these boxes when you are showing your home? Rent a mobile storage unit and keep it at a friend or family member’s home until yours sells. When it’s time to move into your new space, have the storage company move the unit to your new home, and voila – no need to load and unload another time. If you are hiring movers, less locations and time saved means money saved.
For more information on Lennar or homes in the Nashville area, visit us at http://www.lennar.com/New-Homes/Tennessee/Nashville.
