Anyone who has ever sold a home will tell you that it is not easy, and a lot of work is involved. Fortunately, preparing your house significantly increases your chances of selling it fast. Preparation ensures all the damages are fixed, your papers are in order, and the house is in the best condition possible to encourage the buyer to place a deposit and buy the house. If you are in Texas, you can also reach out to us, as we buy houses in Kansas City and can help you get them off the market quickly. But first, let’s look at some of the steps you can take to ensure your house is in the best condition possible during preparation.
1. Let the Cleaning Crew Do Their Job
This will be especially important if the house in question is too big to clean all by yourself. Cleaning crews are a lifesaver, as they will come in and do a thorough job before your house is put on the market. It is recommended that they come in weekly for maintenance too, as they also leave everything neat and well-arranged between visits.
2. Declutter
The idea is to have your home portray its best features and look as beautiful as it possibly can to ensure it sells. This means no crowded rooms and closets, junk mail, or rooms filled with furniture. It is important to empty the room as much as possible to create more space and make the house look spacious for the guests coming to visit.
3. Get Professional Pictures
This one is critical if you want to get as many offers as possible. Whenever people want to buy a home, they look at different real estate listings that are available on the market, and what helps them narrow down their choices are the pictures of the house available online. There is the option of taking the pictures by yourself, but we recommend getting a professional to do the job. Hiring a photographer will give you the best results possible and ensure that they capture the photos with a flair for maximum attractiveness.
4. Look Out for Hazards in Your Home
You need to pay great attention here if you want your home to get a lot of buyers. You don’t want people who come to see your house tripping because the driveway is uneven or there is a crack. If the imperfections are minor, you could fix them yourself, but if the problem is too complex, you should consider getting a professional to handle it.
5. Depersonalize the House
A lot of people get confused about what this entails, but it is fairly simple, and you can start by removing all the family pictures on your wall. Personalized decorative pieces should also be removed as you won’t know who is coming to look at the house, and most people imagine what it would be like to be living there if they purchased the house. Therefore, you need to make everything as neutral as possible to allow them to picture themselves living there and imagine how the furniture and wall decorations would look like after they move in.
6. Remove Any Foul Odor
Speaking of making the place comfortable for the people coming to see your house, the air that greets them when they come in is equally important. If there are any foul odors in the house you have to neutralize them immediately before guests start visiting the house. Now, depending on the problem, you may need to take measures against it. If it is just a fair amount of bad smell, getting an air freshener will go a long way to solving your problems. However, if it is tobacco odors or pet smells you might need to dig deeper and get a humidifier and leave the windows open to allow for proper air circulation.
Conclusion
There are things you are bound to miss rectifying for your home before deciding to allow people in to check it out. A great rule of thumb is walking in yourself and pretending to be a visitor. You might find yourself noticing some of the problems yourself if you pay a keen eye to the surroundings and reason like a buyer. All in all, even a little bit of prep will get you more offers than a neglected house.
