Top 10 Tips to Sell Your Home

Curb appeal – Boost the curb appeal of your home with a quick refresh. Clean the windows, power wash the siding and sidewalk, and trim any trees, hedges & lawn. Take a quick look at your porch and ensure it’s in good working order and there are no signs of peeling or discoloration. Last, if you have any garden space, ensure it is weeded and dead plants are removed – replace them with a couple low maintenance shrubs if you’re not much of a green thumb.

Welcoming entryway – Your foyer is going to provide homebuyers with a first impression of your home, so start off on the right foot! Ensure you have a large clean mat so viewers are not reluctant to enter with their shoes. A place to set keys, bags, and other small items is also appealing however try not to make a small entry area even smaller. Keep it convenient!

Clean, clean, clean – Do a deep clean of your home before putting it on the market. Take a look at your floors – do the carpets need to be cleaned or the hardwood polished? Go room by room and thoroughly clean from top to bottom, including baseboards, vents, under furniture, blinds, light fixtures, and any nooks and crannies. This will make it much easier when you have a viewing as only a quick tidy will be needed. Once you are scheduled for a viewing, empty the garbage and put away any loose items such as toys and bags.

Freshen the air – What you may have become accustomed to could smell stale to a new visitor. Whether you have pets, smoke, or cook a lot of fragrant dishes, consider some neutral options to freshen your home. Air out the house (weather permitting) by opening the windows to let fresh air in – this is the best and least expensive option! Or consider a fragrance diffuser in a vanilla scent as it’s not overly perfumed.

Utilize natural light – Open your blinds and curtains in each room to allow the bright natural light in. This gives your home a larger and more open feeling.

Consider your paint choices – Everyone has seen those home-buying shows where the buyers walk into an electric green room and gasp at the paint color. Of course it can be changed, however it’s much easier to get potential buyers to consider the space their own when the walls are a neutral color.

Complete any to-do’s you’ve been putting off – Whether it’s a few burnt out light bulbs or a leaky faucet, get everything on your to-do list checked off. You want to present your home in its best light.

Tuck away personal items – As a general rule of thumb, it’s ideal to remove personal items and anything of value for privacy and safety. You don’t want anything wandering away. It also helps viewers see the space as their own and visualize themselves living in the home.

Tidy your closets – Closet space is high on the priority list so shoppers are bound to open your closets for a peek. Be ready by organizing your belongings and removing things from sight that you would rather stay hidden. Less is more here so if you have the opportunity to scale down on the contents in a closet space, do so. Take a lesson from Marie Kondo if you have the time!

Storage bins are your friend – These are a great option to organize belongings that can fit almost anywhere in your home. Visitors are unlikely to rifle through a storage bin once it’s placed neatly under a bathroom sink or in a closet. Storage bins also make the moving process a breeze so take a few extra minutes to organize them neatly!

Create a cohesive flow to your home – This could be as simple as purchasing a few accent items in a similar color palette to strategically place throughout the house or arranging your furniture to make the most of your space. You may entertain a lot and need two large sectionals, however it might not be the ideal arrangement for your already-cramped living room. Consider your house as a whole and how an outsider might travel through the rooms.

Remove clutter – We are all human and the clutter piles up over time. Tackle it while you clean and try to keep it in check for the duration your home is on the market. Set up a place for mail, flyers and paperwork to go so in a pinch you can tuck it away in one place. If you have an accumulation of items and sorting through them is out of the question, consider renting a storage unit. This gives you the opportunity to have everything out of the way and in one place so you can sort and organize it out of the house.