Preparing Your Home for a Quick Sale Off the Market
Selling your Sarasota home? Get help from Arlene Buckmaster! Call 941.284.0283 or email Arlene@BuyingSRQ.com to get started today!
When putting your home on the market, major renovations aren’t always necessary. You might be surprised how much of a difference a minor update or repair could make to the selling price or the appeal of your property.
Homebuyers need to feel that your home is worth the amount you’re asking for — meaning, it’s important to build your home’s value. You can start with some professional repairs in areas that potential buyers will pay special attention to. The projects listed below could be the determining factor for how fast your home sells and at what price.
Neutralize Your Home
A fresh coat of paint goes a long way to make your home look brighter and livelier. To someone who’s never been inside your home, it seems more inviting.
As you prepare to sell your home, it’s important to note that neutral colors make the house look more spacious, cleaner, and adequately maintained. The idea is to appeal to a broad base of potential buyers rather than yourself. Having neutral shades allows the potential buyers to start picturing how they’ll personalize the space.
If your walls have bright colors, consider painting over with neutral tones, and remove any wallpapers and borders as well. Do a little research to find out trending colors to resonate with design-savvy buyers. Some of the best colors to use when selling your home are different hues of gray or greige (a color between beige and grey).
You can choose to do the paint job yourself or hire a professional. Some items you’ll need to DIY include paint, paintbrushes, rollers, painter’s tape, and drop cloths.
Install a New Front Door
To create an even better impression, install a new front door. Select a design that will appeal to most people regardless of their styles, such as steel or fiberglass. Inlaid glass on front doors will add more natural light in the entryway and inside your home.
Modern doors are eco-friendly and energy-efficient, which will work to your advantage when dealing with eco-conscious buyers. If a new door is beyond your budget, just repaint your front door with bright colors to make it stand out. If you’d like to DIY to reduce costs, all you’ll need is paint, primer, and some brushes. Don’t forget to repair or replace any loose steps and railings.
Repair Your Windows
If your windows are in bad shape, get in touch with professionals offering window repair services in your area, which you can easily find with a quick search on Angi. The cost of repairs will vary based on factors like the type of windows or materials used but should be around the region of $290.
Before enlisting a company’s services, evaluate a few options by reading online reviews. You can ask for referrals from satisfied customers and confirm whether they have insurance and license to operate, as well. These measures ensure you get the best possible workmanship.
Clean the Fireplace Bricks
A beautiful fireplace will add value to your home and makes for an eye-catching selling point. If your home has a functional fireplace made of bricks, it may have soot and creosote. Start by cleaning up the soot using a wet cloth, then apply a fireplace cleaner to remove the creosote. Use a stiff brush to scrub, repeating a few times until the bricks look more attractive.
Declutter and Depersonalize Your Home
Potential buyers will be more attracted to your house if they can picture themselves living there. This will not be possible with your family’s personal items in sight. Pack up things like all family photos, souvenirs, trophies, and your children’s artwork. Keep bathroom toiletries in vanity drawers or linen closets and clear bedside tables.
Having fewer items in your home makes the rooms feel more spacious. Go through your belongings and remove those items you don’t need. This includes everything from furniture to pictures you have on the walls. Each room should have not more than one rug.
Dispose of any items that you’ll not carry with you to your new home, like outgrown toys and clothes out of season. You can donate the items, have a garage sale, or throw away those that no one can no longer reuse. Put items that are not needed for sale away, such as those you feel are not aesthetically appealing or anything that will not blend with the style and size of the new place.
Besides making the moving process easier and more cost-effective, it will make the space more captivating. Potential buyers can picture the space as their own.
