We live in an instant gratification world. There is one situation where a little preparedness can pay off huge. Here are the top ten things that you need to do to sell your home:
1. Pressure wash the house. Nothing says “well-maintained” like spider webs and mildew. If you want your house to tempt people to make an offer, make it clean and bright!
2. Have your carpets professionally cleaned. If you have pets, pay extra for deodorization. Unfavorable smells (smoke, litter box, dog poo) do you no favors.
3. Pull together any documents from when you bought your home. A copy of the old title policy, the survey, warranties, floor plans. All of these will be useful and some of them can save you money. Also, pull any photos that show the house decorated with Christmas lights, when the azaleas are in bloom, when the leaves change… anything that will give buyers a good feeling about living there.
4. Depersonalize! Remove most of the private photos, take down the Barney border in the kids room, repaint the hot pink teenager den. You want a house to look like a moDel home. Not like a Pinterest project gone awry.
5. Repaint the front door and trim. Install annuals and a cute welcome mat at the front door. First impressions are everything! Studies show that most buyers know within the first forty-five seconds if they like a house. Make this time count.
6. Deep clean the bathrooms. I’m pretty sure that we don’t need further explanation here. Stains and hairs are gross.
7. Declutter. Your precious moments collection needs to be boxed up. One or two items per counter and per table. No more. Keep things streamlined. Sparse sells. Besides, you won’t have to dust it if its boxed up already.
8. Get your air conditioner serviced. In Florida, a nice cool house is sure to please buyers. Made sure the unit is wiped down and not sporting a coat of fur. Clean the vents. Black smudges on the ceiling tell the world that your AC is dirty.
9. Clean out closets. Every closet need to have empty space. Reduce contents of overstuffed closets. Make your home look like it has loads of storage. Drop down to one set of sheets per bed. Drop down to two towels a person. Box up the rest. Make sure closets look like a Martha Stewart ad.
10. Call Red Door Realty Group! All the preparations in the world won’t help you if you don’t have the right Realtor. Accurate pricing and top notch marketing are required for success. May the odds be ever in your favor!