It is time to sell!
Whether you think the market is right or you simply need to relocate, or you just got that amazing news that your family is growing and you need to increase your square footage, you are ready to sell your house.
It seems simple enough. You’ve decided to sell. You think your house should sell quickly and painlessly, but as you start combing through the lists of realtors online or in your phone book (if you’re old school), you start to wonder, “Wait a minute, how do I get my house ready to sell?”
In this article, we’re going to cover a variety of techniques that will help you prepare your house for its sale. Please note that there is no “One size fits all” process for getting your house ready. Each home is unique and each family is unique. You’ll need to consider the age of your home, the condition it's in, and the neighborhood you live in to help you accurately assess the steps you need to take.
However, when it’s all said and done, no matter whether you’d like to list your house in a week, a month, or just as soon as possible, the following steps can help you get your house in peak condition for its sale.
How to get your house ready to sell fast?
If you do a general Google search, you’ll most likely find this article by HGTV {Click Here} where they lay out a list of ten necessary steps that you need to complete before listing your home. These cover the basics from decluttering, improving your landscaping, keeping a clean house, and removing foul odors that might make potential buyers (literally) turn up their noses at your house.
But let’s dig a little deeper and start from the beginning. And, for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume that you’ve never sold a house before. This is all new to you and honestly, you had no idea that there were “steps needed” to get your house ready for a sale.
Step One - Do your research
Make sure that you have a general understanding of where the real estate market currently stands and how fast (or slow) houses are selling in your neighborhood.
Step Two - Compare your property
Be honest with yourself. How does your house compare to the other houses in the neighborhood? Do you stand far apart from the other houses - either for better or for worse? Consider this as you move forward.
Step Three - Declutter and then Declutter again!
This is one of the most powerful moves you can make to speed up the sale of your house. Potential buyers want to imagine themselves in your house and seeing your furniture, knick knacks, and family pictures everywhere really makes that difficult. You can rent out a storage unit, utilize your storage spaces, etc. But getting that clutter and decor out of there will really help.
Step Four - Are there any projects you need to complete to improve your home?
Are some rooms looking a little run down? Consider painting, touching up trim, replacing burnt out lightbulbs, etc. If you have huge projects that could affect the sale of your home, a realtor will let you know. (Such as a toilet that doesn’t work, horrendously dirty and stained carpet, etc)
Step Five - Deep Clean Your House!
Now that your home projects are completed, it’s time to clean your house! If you have extra money and want to hire a cleaning service, this will save you time and effort. Bring them in for a one time super deep clean of your entire house. That will make it easier for you to maintain throughout the house showings and open houses. Getting rid of the cobwebs, dust bunnies, and any grease or grime will go a long way in making your home look enticing to potential buyers.
Step Six - Contact your realtor for a once over.
Consider your realtor your best resource throughout this process. They’ve (hopefully) sold a lot of houses and have a good idea of what sells a house and what isn’t necessary. Bring them in to take a look before they schedule a photographer to take pictures of your home. They’ll give you a final checklist if there’s anything else you need to complete prior to listing your home.
Step Seven - Listen to the feedback you get from home showings.
You may not always get feedback, but a lot of realtors communicate between one another. Your realtor will most likely get a courtesy follow up from the realtor who toured your home with your potential buyers. If there were complaints, they’ll let you know and you can consider whether or not that’s something you should address before another home showing.
Now, let’s speed up the process a bit!
How to get your house ready to sell in 30 days!
You’ve got 30 days to get your house ready to sell. Maybe you have to relocate within the month, you’ve got a baby who’s due any day, or you’re already under contract on another house and you need to get yours sold as quickly as possible.
How can we streamline the above task list and make it a little easier to accomplish in a quick fashion? Well, let’s start at the beginning again.
Step One - Quick Research
Take an hour or so to do some quick research, or maybe just contact your realtor to fill in any blanks about the real estate market and your neighborhood.
Step Two - Declutter
Get as much as you can out of sight. You could put it in the attic or stack it in your garage, but try to remove as much as you can.
Step Three - Deep Clean Your House!
You still need to thoroughly complete this task - especially if you don’t have time to give your house a full on facelift. Hire a cleaning team to come in to really save on time. You could use the time you save to finish your research, finalize documents with your realtor, etc.
Step Four - Contact your realtor for a once over
They’ll be doing this anyway, so there’s no need to skip. Lean on their feedback and tackle any suggestions they make to the best of your abilities within this 30 day period.
Step Five - Listen to the feedback you get from home showings.
Tackle what you can as you can based on the feedback you receive. Funny smell coming from the bathroom? Clean again and consider some tabs for the toilet, or run some vinegar and baking soda through your drain with a kettle of boiling water. Do your best to keep the house clean - even if it’s just on a superficial level.
How to get your house ready to sell in a week!
You want to list your house THIS WEEK? Roll up your sleeves, crank up the music, and get ready to put in full sixteen hour days in your home!
Step One - Declutter
Tidy up as much as you can and pack as much as you can within that week - like you would for an Air BNB. Try to remove personalized items if nothing else and make each room look as attractive as possible.
Step Two - Deep Clean Your House!
You’re probably not going to get a cleaning in here on such short notice, but you can try. If not, rely on a Google Search for a deep clean checklist, like the one Here. Sweep, mop, dust, sanitize, and vacuum. Get it all as clean as you can.
Step Three - Contact your realtor for a once over.
You won’t have time for projects, but they may give you some items to work on while you’re still showing the house. Do what you can.
Step Four - Listen to the feedback you get from home showings.
Continue to clean and declutter between home showings. If there is some huge negative item that you keep hearing about from home showings, take a day off to fully tackle that project.
Final Thoughts about your “How to Get Your House Ready to Sell” Checklist
Each home is unique. There’s a good chance that as you’re reading this article, you already have a good idea of what projects you need to tackle before listing your house on the MLS. While it’s easy to get overwhelmed, know that you can literally accomplish anything by simply tackling one small project at a time. Knock out the smaller and quicker projects first - give yourself a win. That will give you the motivation and energy you need to keep moving forward.
Trust us, we know that it seems like a lot, but the more time you have to prepare your home prior to listing it, the easier time you’re going to have going under contract and closing on your home. This allows you to move, carefree, into your new home and on to your next adventure!
Best of luck to you in your real estate journey!