Prepping Your Home for Sale

Home.

Do you want a quick sell at top dollar? Start packing up the clutter and start staging.  There isn't a need to pay money for a stager... just follow these simple tips and it will be done.

Moving is a daunting task, but before you move, you probably want to sell your home first.  You want to do everything in your power to make every person that steps in your home love it and want to buy it.

Here are a few tips that Jeff and I learned as we were selling our home.

Decorative picture frames with no pictures!

- Un-personalize the house: That means remove any pictures that would identify the owners;  the pictures that I could not take off the wall, got decorative paper coverings that allowed us to keep the frames and design on the wall.  The framed pictures that aren't attached to the wall need to be stored away or even packed for the move. Personal nicknacks also need to go. The buyers want to picture themselves in the house, not you and your friends and family.  You also want to remember, give the impression that "nobody in particular lives in this house" - except for someone with great taste of course!

* Tip- Put decorative craft paper in the framed pictures that you don't or can't take off the wall.  Card stock is cheap and will look better than plain old nothing.  I did this with all of my pictures ont he walls around the house and it only took a few minutes per picture.*

More decorative frames with no pictures

- Do a walk through and make a list of the little things that you want or have been meaning to do.  Some of the smallest things can turn a picky buyer off. When your house is on the market, act like everyday could be an open house.  It needs to look just as good as the day of the open house.  Put everything away and always wash your dishes.  Yes, it sucks, but do you want to sell your home?

- Fix squeaky floors: Sometimes squeaky floors don't bother you when you live somewhere for a long time, but once someone comes into your house to assess it, you will notice every squeak.   We did a post about fixing your squeeky floors with carpet.

- Streamline your furnishing. You want minimal furniture to clutter the space. 

- Make your house sparkle: wash the windows, clean away the old cobwebs, hire someone to come in a give it a good scrub.  It is worth your money for the clean and it also will eleviate some of the stress associated with the house prepping.

- Walk around your house and fix anything that can be fixed easily.  Change light bulbs, touch up paint, fill in cracks in baseboards with caulk, fill in cracks in drywall, etc.

- Open all the window coverings and let in the light.  Nobody wants a dark house. If there is a view that isn't desirable, then maybe you should keep it closed or get window coverings that look a bit better.

- Put away all of your valuables, including medications.  Jeff and I went away for the weekend we had our open house and took all of our most valuable items with us or locked them up in our in-wall hidden safes.  It alleviated the stress and solved the problem of where to put them when people were wandering around the house.

- Kitchen: Clear kitchen countertops of almost everything, with the exception of the bare necessities.  We even took our knife block off the countertop.  Remove everything from the top and sides of fridge (pictures, kid's art, magnets, etc.).

- Bathrooms:  Clear the bathroom countertops of ALL toiletries. Leave only a few decorative items or a floral or plant arrangement. You can leave out your nicest towels or replace the shower curtain if it is looking old.  Remove all soaps, shampoos, etc from the shower.

- Pets:  We don't have pets, but if you have any remove all signs of their existence, as sad as that may be!

- Kids toys:  You can't remove them all, but store the toys in any areas that are out of sight, but can be used when actual life does take place. You know you don't need all of those toys, so store some of them away or actually get rid of them.  This is the time to down size the kid toy collection before you move.

  

- Outside:  Treat your outdoor space like it is another room in your home.  You want everything to be clean, organized, and neat.

• Hide your trash cans
• Coil or hide your hose and gardening tools
• Open up your umbrella and put out the cushions for the outdoor furniture
• Uncover your bbq, pool, or water features
• Freshen up flowers, mulch, etc.

Yes, prepping isn't be fun, but selling your home is.  You will need to step out of your comfort zone when selling but remember it isn't a forever thing.  Happy selling!

<3 mk and jeff