Millions of people sell their homes every year. In fact, over 5 million people sold their homes in the year 2019 alone. However, just because something is common doesn’t mean that it’s easy, and this is true of selling a house.
A lot goes into selling a home, oftentimes more than you might realize when you first start the process. To help you avoid any surprises and limit the amount of stress you’re bound to experience, we’ve put together a house selling checklist that includes everything from the largest items to the smallest details. Keep reading to learn more!
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Hire a Real Estate Agent
When you approach the idea of selling your home, you might think that you can simply market it and sell it yourself. It’s easy enough, right? Well, not exactly. While you could sell your house on your own, you’re not going to sell it as quickly or for as much money as you would with the help of a real estate agent.
A professional real estate agent knows everything about how to sell a house and will be able to handle the majority of the process for you. Moving is stressful enough, the last thing you need is the added weight of everything that comes along with putting your home on the market.
If at all possible, don’t rush into choosing an agent. The trick is to find one who is knowledgeable about your specific neighborhood and who has connections in the area. Your real estate agent should make you feel comfortable and confident in the sale of your home; if they don’t, they’re not the agent for you.
Make Your Home Immaculate Inside and Out
There are many tips for selling a house quickly, but perhaps the best of them all is to make your home immaculate, both inside and out. The goal is to make potential buyers fall in love with your home from the pictures alone.
When people are searching for a new home, they have to be able to imagine themselves inside, going through their daily routine within its walls. It’s much harder for them to get to this point if your curb appeal is poor or the inside of your home is a cluttered mess.
Master Your Curb Appeal
To ensure that buyers’ first impression of your home is a good one, the first thing you need to do is to make the outside of your home warm and welcoming. This doesn’t have to mean major changes and investments.
Taking steps as simple as painting the front door a fun color or planting some flowers in the beds around your porch is enough. The main thing to focus on is that your yard is free of debris, your grass is trimmed, and your home and walkways are clean.
For more small steps you can take to help make the sale of your home quick and easy, take a look at sellhousefast.com.
Declutter Before You Advertise
Once the outside of your house is looking its best, it’s time to move to the inside. Not only is decluttering a must for a successful home sale but it’s also a fantastic way to decrease moving stress. Because the earlier you start packing for your move, the better.
This is why decluttering needs to be at the top of your “what to do before you sell your house” checklist. Again, don’t wait until the last moment to tackle this project, as it can take some time.
When your home goes on the market, you should have removed about two-thirds of your belongings from its rooms. To do this, go through each room of your home and make three piles: pack, donate, and toss.
Rid yourself of anything that doesn’t either serve a purpose or give you joy. Once you’re left with only the things that you plan to pack, go ahead and pack up any personal items. This includes family photos, awards, and other memorabilia.
Remember, you want to allow potential buyers to imagine themselves in your home. It’s much harder for them to do so when they’re staring at pictures of you and your family on the shelves.
Complete a Whole House Touch-up
Now that you’ve pared down your belongings and packed away valuables and personal items, you’re ready to complete your whole house touch-up.
Could any of your walls use a new coat of paint? Is there a loose doorknob or two that you’ve been neglecting? Are there scuff marks on the walls in your high traffic areas? These small projects should be completed now.
Scrub down the walls and doors, remove any cobwebs from the corners of the ceiling, tighten handles, and replace any burnt-out lightbulbs. Your home should be in top shape when the first potential buyer comes for a tour.
In addition, if you’ve painted any of your rooms bright colors, it’s time to go back to neutral tones. Yes, that bright pink bedroom might have been perfect for your daughter, but it will more than likely be a turn-off to potential buyers.
Stick to greys and beiges. If buyers want any rooms to be bright colors, they’ll do it themselves once they’ve moved in.
Reduce Your Stress With This House Selling Checklist
No matter how prepared you are, you’re going to experience some stress during the sale of your home. After all, it’s a major change that affects every aspect of your life.
But selling your home shouldn’t be so stressful that you’re losing sleep or pulling your hair out. By using this house selling checklist, you can ensure that you’re prepared for anything that the selling process throws your way.
Looking for more tips and tricks for getting the most out of the sale of your home? Be sure to check out our blog!
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