Everyone who has decided to sell wants two things, to know how to get a house ready to sell quickly and have it sell for as much as possible. Of course, this should also be the ultimate goal of your realtor, if you’ve decided to go that route. Knowing how to properly get a house ready to sell, quickly and for as much as possible is not a thing of luck of course, it takes planning and learning how to create a space that buyers will wow over compared to the other homes on the market. It also takes doing work that can sometimes be hard to do, but I’ll explain that in a second. Another component to selling your home quickly is marketing your it properly in order to maximize its exposure to as many people as possible and your eventual buyer.

IT'S NOT YOUR HOME NOW IT'S A PRODUCT

One of the most difficult things people find to do when they’re selling their home is to treat it like a product or to depersonalize it. It’s been your Home for years and it has many memories attached to it, which is what a home should have but to potential buyers it’s a House that they want to create their own memories in. Having too many of our own personal pieces can cloud what they envision as their new home.

So, think of it as pre-packing, because if you do it right your most likely going to sell your home much quicker than you would have otherwise. Pack up a good majority of personal photographs, knick knacks and family mementos. This can also mean taking out your furniture as well, if your furniture is a bit more unique or of a particular style. Consider using some staging in order to sell your house quickly and for top dollar, you need a somewhat blank but appealing canvas. 

This absolutely does not mean take everything away and make the space cold but instead add generic pictures and non-personalized pieces and furniture to the rooms. You want people to feel like it will be a place to call their own, once they add their own pieces.
 

OUT WITH THE OLD

We all do it, especially if we’ve been in a home for a long time, we tend to collect. We love our bobbles and collections, they hold pieces to memories, events and the past, they mean the world to us. Unfortunately, when they’re looked at by other people they’re looked at like they're junk or at least clutter. 

Noooooo……I love my collection of Transformers (that nobody else cares about, well maybe me) or I’m not getting rid of those jeans, they’re my favourite pair from when I was 10 years younger. If it’s a personal love or if you haven’t worn or used it in more than 12/18 months, scrap it, donate it or pack it up for storage.

You should also clear your kitchen counters, yes of almost everything. The kitchen is a focal point for many buyers and counter space is very important. Help your kitchen look bigger by having nothing on your counters. Put the essential items that you always use away in one of the cupboards, you’ll have the room, since you’ll also pack away in storage, donate or throw away any non-essential, rarely or never used pieces. Remember you’re eventually going to have to pack anyway. You can also make sure your spices are organized, dishes are uniformly stacked and glasses and coffee cups are lined up in uniform rows.






 

IT'S NOT YOUR PERSONAL SPACE ANYMORE

Another reason to pack away anything that is sentimental or personal is because 99.9% of all buyers go through areas that are personal. Yes, they will open your closets and all of your cabinets. If you want to know how to get a house ready to sell quickly, clear out the storage spaces. An organized and uncluttered closet, medicine cabinet or other storage areas not only make the space look bigger but it also speaks to the onlooker about how well you cared for the house. Have spaces between your shirts with them all hanging in the same direction line up your shoes etcetera. The name of the game is to keep everything uniform.

MAKE REPAIRS AND UPDATES

If you want your home to sit on the market, leave the needed updates alone. If you want to know how to get a house ready to sell quickly, just do the needed repairs and make appropriate updates. As long as you don’t go over the top you’ll get your investment back and then some. The most common issues buyers have when they’re scrutinizing houses are Damp Patches and Water Staining on the Walls or Ceilings, Odours, Dull Lighting, Outdated Bathrooms and Kitchens, Cluttered Rooms and Over the Top Decor.

We’ve taken care of the clutter and hopefully the over the top decor, especially if you’re staging your home. The least expensive but highest return on investment is paint. Paint, paint everywhere. If there have been leaks, make sure the repairs are done and done professionally but once that is complete make sure there aren’t any remnants. Painting your walls and sticking with variations of whites is an easy way to make sure all of the colours tie together and make your rooms look bigger and cleaner. A newly painted ceiling is a great touch too.

If you have outdated cabinets in your kitchen you can even paint those a lighter colour and then add updated hardware. Your lights should be as bright and as warm as possible in addition to allowing as much natural light into the house, expose those windows people…..but make sure they’re clean. Adding updates to a bathroom can also be a somewhat inexpensive weekend project. A new vanity, toilet and decor are a fairly easy DIY but makes a big impact. If you can update your tub and change the accessories like shower heads and faucets too. Make sure you always have fresh towels hung up or maybe invest in some new ones and display them by either layering them or tying them.

THE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE MUST COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER

If your potential buyer is turned off before even getting inside your home the ability to make them love your home is significantly less. You’ll have to do much more work inside if your outside is lacking, since changing their initial impression is not easily done. Just as learning how to get the inside of your home ready so it sells quickly, you need to put a good amount of focus on the outside. It doesn’t need to cost you a lot or be an exorbitant amount of work. Some of the highest return on investment curb appeal ideas are the same as interior. Paint, Declutter, Make it Fresh and Organized just to name a few.

MAKE IT SHINE LIKE NEW

When you’re looking how cleaning can help you sell your home quickly we’re not talking about your regular day to day, it needs to go well beyond that. If you hate cleaning, this could be painful but luckily if this describes you there are a great assortment of cleaners you can hire for not too much money. Many professional cleaners will start at less than $100.00 depending on what you need.

You’ll want to wash the windows inside, outside and clean the trim. If you don’t have one rent a pressure washer to spray down the sidewalks and the exterior of your home. If you haven’t gone the route of fully updating your bathroom or kitchen, make sure you recaulk tiles, sinks, tubs, and showers. You also should polish the chrome faucets and mirrors. Clean and air out the musty and stagnant areas

Yes, you're still living there so it's not going to be continuously spotless but make it a habit to clean up after yourself daily. Vacuum daily instead of weekly, clean the floors, dust the furniture, clean ceiling fan blades and light fixtures. At a minimum scrub the grout so it’s not grimy and replace or clean any worn rugs and carpet.

After cleaning and painting make sure you’re not adding to the smells. This could include cooking, heavy odour producing products, if you have pets keep the litter boxes completely clean and away from odour transferring soft materials such as rugs and furniture. You can use lightly scented air fresheners and candles to help of course but you should be very aware if they produce any heavy perfumes since this can be just as offensive to many people.

A QUICK RUNDOWN
 

Getting your home ready so it has it's best chance with todays buyers doesn’t need to cost you a fortune or take major renovations It simply takes the right steps so you're getting as many people to your house as possible and presenting it to any potential buyers in a way that's pleasing to them. You must make sure that you do what appeals to the many and not the few. If you have any questions about how to get your house ready to sell quickly and for most often more money, feel free to reach out. We're always here to help.... plus education and the right advice are always a "smart move"!!