Most home sellers want to make a large profit and expect the sales process to be quick, but selling a home isn’t an easy task. It involves careful preparation and planning. You must convince buyers that your home is a good investment. Therefore, it’s imperative to invest some time and effort in preparing your home for showings. Here are eight recommended steps to preparing homes for sale.

1. Mentally Prepare Yourself

If you’ve lived in the home for a long time, letting go can be difficult because the property holds many memories. However, it would help if you detached from any related emotions. That way, you can do what’s necessary to sell the home effectively. 

Try thinking of the home as an investment that’s being sold to other occupants for profit. That should make it easier to move on and look to the future. A home is about the occupants, not the building or things inside it. Home is wherever you and the family choose – your memories will always remain.

2. Identify and Address Repairs

Your home comprises of numerous parts that naturally wear and tear, plus damages add up over time. That’s why many seller’s agents recommend going through homes for sale to identify issues and fixing each one, no matter how minor.

Buyers will always view damages as problems, and too many can lower the price people are willing to pay. Noticeable damages often indicate serious issues hidden from view, which can discourage a prospective buyer. The person may also use those problems as bargaining chips to drop the price.

So consider fixing everything that needs repairs. Take a look at the following categories.

• Home interior
• Kitchen and bathroom
• The home exterior
• Yard

3. Depersonalize the Home

Homes for sale that leave the market quickly are typically able to evoke the potential buyer’s imagination. A buyer should be able to imagine living in the home. But that’s tough to do when it still feels like someone else’s living environment. Therefore, depersonalizing your home is crucial.

Remove personal belongings like fancy furniture, photographs, heirlooms, artworks, and others from spaces or rooms. That way, a potential buyer isn’t distracted from imagining how it would feel to have decorations in the home. The entire environment should be impersonal and clean to facilitate imagination in potential buyers.

4. Declutter

Space is a huge selling point, so decluttering is a must. Your home should look as spacious as possible. You can discard items that aren’t in use by selling or donating each one. Depending on your location, you can schedule a pickup for unwanted items too.

Store any items you use daily in small boxes or neatly in a closet. Make sure you always put each one back in storage when not in use. Keep your tables and counters clean, including removing any obstacles. Prospective buyers should be able to walk around the home without bumping into things.

Consider renting a storage unit for your belongings during the home-selling process to maximize space.

5. Keep Storage Spaces and Closets Organized

Practically all buyers check storage spaces and closets out of curiosity, so ensure these spaces are clean, including organized. Cluttered or dirty areas can send the wrong message about homes for sale. But when everything is organized, uncluttered, and clean, it can reflect how well you take care of your property. And people are generally more confident buying from someone that seems to take good care of things.

6. Deep Clean the Home

Consider hiring professionals to deep clean your home, which should save you lots of time. Things to clean may include carpets, couches, windows, furniture, spraying down sidewalks, polishing mirrors, and others. Your home should sparkle.

After the deep clean, you should dust, vacuum, wax floors, and clean bathrooms daily to maintain cleanliness. You should also be mindful of odors that can arise from cooking. Some odorous foods have lingering smells that can last for many hours. So consider airing out the house every night before a showing.

If you have pets, keep spaces clean or consider leaving your animal companion with a family member or friend for some time.

7. Can the Home Use a Fresh Coat of Paint?

It’s normal for walls to become dirty or stained when you have kids, pets, or lived in your home for a long time. Thankfully, you can make your home feel new again with a fresh coat of paint. Good paint jobs can make small rooms appear larger and highlight architectural details in homes for sale.

Try using warm neutral colors like beige or grey if you’re going to paint your walls. These kinds of colors go well with most things, making it easier for people to picture personal belongings in the home.

8. Stage Your Home

Staging refers to decorating your home in a way that showcases its best assets, so buyers are impressed. It can help you create a great first impression.

When staging, focus on the rooms that buyers care about most, such as bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and bathrooms. For example, you can place decorative pillows on your living room’s couches or add a fruit bowl on the kitchen countertop.

Staging requires an eye for good decoration, so consider hiring a professional stager. That decision can help your home sell quickly and at a high price point. Some seller’s agents will cover the cost of staging, so ask yours about it. Your agent can also recommend a professional stager.

The Coleman Group elevates the property buying and selling experience through a holistic approach. Connect with an agent for outstanding service.