You've been stuck in your home for a couple of weeks now with the whole entire family home and you're starting to see that this is not your ideal home anymore. So what do you do to get your house ready to sell? We are going to follow a checklist to prepare your house to sell for the most amount of money in the fastest time possible.
To begin, we are going to go over the four main components of selling a house. First up is market conditions. This includes interest rates, what's going on in the world, our country, our state, and our city. Based off of interest rates, employment levels, and the buyer confidence level we are going to determine price, promotion, and presentation.
We cannot control marketing conditions therefore we will not concentrate on what we can't control. We are just going to be aware of it. We price the property and market and present it to fit in what's going on in the market conditions. The asking price of your house is the second main component of selling your house. Typically homes sell for the most amount of money, the first 30 days they are on the market. We are going to take advantage of that and price it correctly to get it sold within 30 days. Third main component of selling your house is marketing. This is the promotion. Do all the potential buyers in your area know that your house is for sale? And are they aware that this is their dream home? That is exactly what marketing does. It puts your house out so all the buyers know that it's available for sale, what it looks like, what you're asking for it, and being able to see it and put an offer in. The fourth and last main component of selling your house is the condition. This is the condition of your home. What does the house look like? What does it smell like? What does it feel like. If the condition of your house is not model new build perfect or competitive to TV shows such as property, brothers, house hunters love it, or list it, or fixer upper then you're going to have to adjust the price to where the market will meet you and give you top dollar for the condition that it is in.
Now, if your house is in a really good condition, it will sell quickly. Houses sells so fast when they're in great condition. People like to move in into a home that's ready for them to just put their stuff in and live. Now that we know and understand the four main components of selling a house, we see that condition is something that we can easily work on to make sure that we get the right price for your property that you want. What can you personally can do right now while we're all in stay home order to prepare your house to sell in the fastest amount of time with the least amount of hassle. We're not going to go deep into remodeling or upgrading. We're going to take what you already have and just make a few minor changes such as move some furniture around or just do some touch-ups here and there wherever needed to get your house looking its best. It's kind of like putting on some makeup.
There's been massive research done on what causes homes to sell quick and for top dollar and in the Kansas city marketplace, what it comes up time and time again is good looking homes that are functioning, everything's operating, they sell fast and for top dollar. Our goal here is what can you do, what step by step plan, what checklist can you follow to get it showing at its absolute best? Buyers often make purchases on emotions, so your goal is to present your home in a way that will give them the perception of value in your home as compared to all the other homes in your area. So your home should be the best home in your price range in your area. So it should be on the top of your price range in condition and kind of on the bottom of the next price range to have two pools of buyers.
We have your price range and the price range just above yours. I've attached a checklist down below to help you optimize the physical appearance of your house to increase the buyer's perception of value of your home. Go step-by-step through the checklist, room by room to get a buyer to put an offer in to your house. We're going to go room by room and we're going to deep clean. We're going to fix anything that is broken, such as drawers and touch up, some paint, wherever it's missing. Send me pictures, send me videos of your house, and we'll go over room by room and I'll give you my opinion of what you can do to optimize the perception of value of your house.
The following checklist will help you give the inside of your home the greatest presence:
1) Get the home aired out. Someone who lives in a place is the last person to notice any peculiar odor that may be obvious to visitors. However, if you do notice any bad odor, search for and destroy its source.
2) Wash all the windows inside and out. Clean the window sills and the bottoms of the window jams. Wash the blinds and vacuum the drapes.
3) If your carpets look dirty or have not been cleaned in over a year, clean them. Buyers only know what they see .. not the way it is going to be. Unless your home is a “fixer”, badly worn or very out of date carpets should be replaced before coming on the market. Offering a buyer a credit to pick their own new carpet or discount off the price is far less effective and usually ends up costing more money and slowing down the selling process. Pick a light colored short plush or Berber carpet. Realtor beige is a safe color.
4) Clean or polish all floors.
5) Clean all the closets, cabinets, and drawers. Get rid of things you have not used in the past 5 years and pack everything that you have not used the past year (this will also give you a head start on moving).
6) Make sure the closets look like they have enough room to hold additional items. Make sure doors do not stick and nothing will fall out when opened. Get everything off the floor (unless very neatly arranged) and do not have the shelves piled to the ceiling. If necessary, box up off-season clothes (this is another head start on moving). All coats should be facing in the same direction.
... INSIDE APPEAL
7) There should not be too much furniture in the rooms. You will be far better off selecting the pieces that look best and putting the others in the garage or in storage.
8) Make sure fireplace mantels are not overloaded with items on display. A couple of well-placed items like a vase or small flower arrangement are all that is needed. ,
9) Make the fireplace a focal point, the star of the room. Arrange seating to face the fireplace. Remove the television, if large and in a formal living room.
10) Clear the ashes out of any fireplace if it is not being used.
11) Clear out family photos and all other items that say “You do not live here” to a
potential buyer. Fill any holes and touch up paint from taking them down.
12) Put maximum safe wattage of light bulbs in all fixtures.
13) Clean all wall switches and replace broken plates.
14) Make sure that any pull-down staircase is strong enough to be used safely.
15) Consider whether the posters currently in your children’s rooms are likely to offend any buyers. If so, store those posters for now.
16) Remove all ashtrays. If there is a smoker in the residence, all smoking must be outside (not in garage) while property is on the market.
17) Invest in some new and luxurious bedding (comforter, sheets, and accent pillows). You can take them when you move, and they will improve the look of the bedrooms while your current house is on the market.
18) If your house is the least bit dated, consider changing items that will increase your home’s desirability such as dated wallpaper, light fixtures, etc...
INSIDE APPEAL - KITCHEN
The kitchen may be the most important room in the home. Clean this room like your sale depends on it- because it does!
1) Clean the oven and keep it clean; even if this means eating out (or getting deliveries) more often.
2) After cleaning the range, put new drip pans under the burners or foil over the old ones.
3) Clean around the seal of the dishwasher door.
4) Look at the kitchen as if you were a health home inspector. Paying particular attention to:
a) Garbage area
b) Cracks
c) Corners
5) Make certain you get rid of all junk, broken or cracked dishes. Also remove disorganized items that have accumulated in the kitchen drawers and cabinets.
6) Keep everything put away that can be put away, especially on counters. p 7) Check the cabinet doors and door handles for fingerprints.
INSIDE APPEAL - LAUNDRY ROOM
1) Put soaps and supplies in cabinets or containers.
2) Keep counters and sink clean and empty.
3) This is one room to take special care with lighting. Many laundry rooms are way too dark. Upgrade wattage in light fixtures if safe to do so.
Make sure that any pull-down staircases, such as to an attic are working. Be sure that there is a working light in the attic, if equipped.
INSIDE APPEAL - BATHROOMS
1) Repair all leaky faucets.
2) Caulk bathtubs, showers, and sinks.
3) Coordinate towels in one or two colors. Fold clean towels in thirds and hang onto racks each day. Purchase new towels if necessary.
4) Clear all items out of shower stalls and tubs except for necessities.
5) Clean or replace shower curtains.
6) If necessary, remove the shower door for cleaning. Use solution of one part muriatic acid to 10 parts water (use goggles when mixing), then scrub with plastic scouring pad and rinse clean.
7) Fresh flower arrangements do wonders for a bathroom, both in appearance and aroma. No plug-in air fresheners or scented candles.
8) If you have pets, be sure to clean around their food areas and empty litter boxes frequently. ·
INSIDE APPEAL - GARAGE
1) Clean and sweep garage. Consider painting walls flat white and floors light gray.
2) Store any dangerous tools and arrange others neatly. Use containers and tool boxes
as necessary.
3) Vacuum pipes around heating system which are visible.
4) Check garage windows and screens. Windows should be clean and screens free of rips and tears. Windows should be checked for cracks and holes. Replace as needed.
Remove all “junk” from the attic, basement, closets, garage, and tool shed. Large storage areas appeal to buyers. Rent a storage unit and clear out as much as possible to make your home feel open and roomy.