Preparing your Home for Sale : Three Things to do Before Listing It

January 18, 2023

First and foremost your home should be neat and tidy. Remember this phrase because it covers the exterior and the interior of your home. Exterior refers to the curb appeal and is the very first thing someone notices about your house when they pull up. Make sure the lawn is mowed, flowerbeds are cleaned out, leaves and sticks are picked up, and there’s no peeling paint or wood rot on the outside of your home. Remove clutter on the inside of your home and remember the phrase neat and tidy!

Second, remove all odors from your home as much as possible. This one could be hard because you don’t often notice the smell if you’re living around it everyday. Cigarette smoke, pet odords, and food are the three most elements that cause a stinky and noticeable odor in your home. Invite a friend or family member that doesn’t visit too often to come over and sniff test your home. I can’t stress enough how important this is. Odors turn off buyers immediately and it’s hard to get them interested if their nose isn’t happy at the end of showing.

Third and last is make sure each space in your home is clearly defined and staged or set up for its intended purpose. Example; if you’re using the dining room as your kids homeschool room, restore it to the original dining room as much as possible. It’s important for buyers to see the intended use of a space so that they don’t dismiss it and view it as wasted or unusable space. Unfortunately, buyers aren’t often able to see the potential of a home.

If you have any questions about what you need to prepare for your home to hit the market, I recommend you reach out to a real estate agent who can give you the best advice on what exactly you need to do.