People sell their homes for different reasons. Some want a smaller place when their children have left for college. Others want a larger place for an extra member of the family. A third group is in financial need or wants a fresh start in a different location.
No matter the reasons, all sellers want to get the highest possible value for their homes. To do this, they can start by fixing the outside and then moving indoors. They can then make their homes more hospitable and finish by looking at the details.
Start with the Exteriors
The first thing prospective buyers see when they visit your house is the outside. They look at the doors, the windows, the painting on the walls, the grass on your lawn, and the roof. As their eyes wander through your property, their minds start to think. Is this the house I want? Can I picture myself living inside it? What kind of life would I have if I lived here?
The best way to make these questions easy for the buyer to answer is by having beautiful exteriors. Beautiful exteriors reflect not only what the house is probably like on the inside but also the owner’s personality. If he is a clean, organized, reliable person, so will the house be. The same if he isn’t. Many potential buyers will not waste their time and go inside when the outside is not to their pleasing.
As such, start by fixing what needs to be fixed and cleaning what needs to be cleaned. If the garage doors don’t work, have them checked and repaired. If the windows are dirty, take the time to clean them. Don’t wait for your real estate agent to tell you to cut the grass or fix a hole on the roof. Do it yourself. The money you invest in repairing your house will benefit you long-term, even if you change your mind and decide not to sell.
Beauty Comes from Within
Once you’re done with the outside, the next step is to focus on the inside. It means not only the rooms, kitchen, and bathroom but also what isn’t seen. Like the exteriors, repair what needs to be repaired. Look at the pipes, ventilation systems, patches or stains on floors and walls, and the lighting. The last thing you want is for the buyer to flush the toilet only to realize it doesn’t work.
Having done that, clean out everything that needs to be cleaned out. Look inside the closets, cupboards, drawers, attic, den, and any other place where you might keep things. If you find something you haven’t used in a couple of years or don’t even recognize as your own, it needs to go.
Aside from preparing your home for a potential viewing or open house, the process of cleaning disposes of unnecessary things not only in your home but also in your mind. It gives you a fresh outlook on life, ridding yourself of the garbage.
Commercial and Cozy
A house is not a factory or an office. As obvious as this might sound, many home-owners fail to recognize the importance of warmth and hospitality. Sure, the concept of depersonalization is well-known and widely accepted. If your house looks too unique to you and your personality, others won’t be able to imagine themselves living inside.
Yet, if it looks too much like a showroom, they won’t like it either. A home needs to have a homey feeling. It needs to exude comfort, relaxation, and coziness.
Thus, remove things that show a strong personality. If your room is full of posters of heavy metal bands or private pictures, maybe you should take them down, roll them up, and hide them at the bottom of your closet. But a nice family picture or a blanket you love on top of your living room sofa is fine. It shows you are a regular person, something most of us can relate to.
The Finishing Touches
The last step is to take care of the little things, the details. These are things that are not essential for your house but still very much appealing. An example is changing the fixtures in bathrooms and lighting. Replacing the doorknobs and faucets give your home an instant makeover, adding a hint of chicness and style.
Another one could be looking into tearing down a wall to create more room. There’s nothing more attractive in a house than that feeling of spaciousness and comfort.
If you want your house to be more enticing to prospective buyers, there are plenty of things you can do. They include fixing both exteriors and interiors, creating a sense of homeliness and warmth, and adding some finishing touches. These are easy, cost-effective measures that will add value to your home and make it stand out on the market.
