How to Prepare Your Home for Selling Season

If you are considering selling your home, you will need to make sure it’s well-equipped with the features and improvements that buyers want. Depending on where you are, you will need to give yourself ample time to implement these improvements before the selling season starts.

As you know, this is the time of the year when real estate buyers are most active. This is also a time when you will have to compete with other sellers for attention. Without careful preparation, there’s a good chance that your home will get overlooked.

It matters to set aside as much time and resources as you need to make sure your home stands out. A big part of that involves having a good list of tasks and upgrades to include. Some of these upgrades could even increase your home’s final selling price. Still, others are major turn-offs, especially among luxury buyers and young professionals. Your goal is to focus on the improvements and tasks that make a huge difference. Here’s a guide to help you with that:

1. Do a pre-selling home inspection

Before you come around to listing your home, it’s important to have a good understanding of what should be worked out. Regardless of the number of years you’ve owned your home, you should take the time to do a thorough inspection of your home from the inside and out. You will need to uncover defects and issues that could affect your home’s performance in the market. Do an initial inspection by yourself and look for issues that could be patched up through simple fixes, such as leaking pipes and dealing with holes on the interior walls.

Then again, there might still be underlying issues that could be uncovered during negotiations with a buyer, prompting them to justify a lower purchase offer. In this case, it matters to have a home inspection service to do the job for you. Lean on their expertise to detect problems that could delay the sale of your home and lower its final price.

Focus on major issues that require specialized contractors to fix, such as cracks in the foundation, as well as damage to your electrical system. A home inspection and subsequent repairs might seem like additional burdens on your part, but these could put you in a stronger position to promote your property and sell it for more than your initial asking price.

2. Don’t overlook the exterior

Whether you like it or not, upgrading your exterior is an investment you wouldn’t want to set aside. After all, motivated buyers are drawn towards real estate listings that showcase how attractive these properties look from the curb. They are most likely to put in an offer quickly if they like what they see on the exterior.

Opt to include exterior improvements that will give your home a fresher look, allowing it to stand out from other active listings in the same area. The first thing you might want to consider is changing the color of the exterior wall. For sure, neutral color combinations are ideal because they make your property appear larger and cleaner. Go for combinations of white and beige. Include the moldings and other details.

For the roof, you may have to spend on a total overhaul if it looks dilapidated from the outside. Have a local roofing company help you decide what material to use for your roofing. As you do so, make sure your landscaping is upgraded as well.

Keep the grass to an optimal length and opt to have your walkway and driveway pressure washed to remove dirt and soot. There’s a long list of other exterior upgrades that are worth checking out, but take care not to go overboard when you’re adding expensive add-ons such as water features and a high-end main entrance.

3. Clear your home of your personality

Since you will be putting your home up for sale, it won’t do you any good if you start marketing the property with your personal touches still inside. Buyers would prefer to live in a space where they can visualize themselves staying for the long haul.

If you leave personal items behind, you’re only causing buyers to feel less confident in your intent to sell. As the home-selling season in your area nears, make sure that the interior of your home is transformed into a neutral space where buyers can feel free to imagine owning it.

You can start by removing photo frames, memorabilia, and personal collections from the living room and master bedroom. These may also include artwork that reflects your tastes. Swap these with ready-made pieces you can find in department stores.

You might also want to replace the furniture with minimalist fixtures. These could help the interior appear larger, especially in the listing photos. You can also add indoor plants that could provide a good contrast to neutral wall colors. What’s more, store away items that are bulky and distracting. Go for a cleaner look, and you will be able to impress any motivated buyer in no time.

4. Get professional input

While you can deal with most of the suggestions on this list on your own, it still matters to consult experienced professionals in the local real estate industry for other ways to make your property stand out. You may not have the time to make aesthetic decisions on your own, so consider reaching out to a real estate professional and see if they could connect you with a professional home stager. Their expertise allows them to zero in on design choices that match the type of home you have, so it has a better chance of receiving an impressive offer.

Endnote

Don’t let the stress of the incoming home-selling season get to you. Keep these tips in mind and make the most of the time and money you spend putting your home in the forefront.