If you’re like many people in Scottsdale, you need to know how to get a house ready to sell quickly – but other than pricing it right, is there anything you can do?
Here’s what you need to know.
How to Get a House Ready to Sell Quickly: 5 Things to Do Before You List
Your real estate agent will talk to you about pricing your home properly, which can have a lot to do with how quickly it sells – but there are other things you can do to help your agent sell your home quickly, too, including:
- Declutter, clean and depersonalize every room
- Address repairs
- Paint, if you and your agent decide it’s a good idea
- Stage each room, focusing on deal-makers first
- Get the lighting just right
Here’s a closer look at each.
#1. Declutter, clean and depersonalize every room
You need to sell more than a house – you need to sell a lifestyle. One of the best ways to do that is to show that your home is open, easy to move through, clean and generally appealing. That means you have to:
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Declutter. Take out everything you haven’t used in 6 months – even if it’s tucked away in a cabinet or closet – and decide whether to donate, store or sell it. Decluttering also means clearing out furnishings that make your space look cramped, so if there’s a comfortable-and-well-used easy chair in the pathway from the living room to the kitchen, it might be time to put it in storage.
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Clean. One of the best ways to get a house ready to sell quickly is to ensure that it’s spotless, so many people choose to hire a professional cleaning service for a deep-clean before listing a home for sale. If that’s what you choose to do, you’ll only need to maintain what the cleaning pros did while your home is on the market.
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Depersonalize. You want your home to appeal to as many buyers as possible, which means it’s in your best interest to take down family photos, eccentric decor, or anything that could be considered controversial (such as political decor).
#2. Address repairs
If anything needs to be repaired, handle it as soon as possible. That way, when buyers make an offer and hire their own inspector, there won’t be anything you need to address at that time. Check everything, and look for things like:
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Dripping faucets
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Burned-out bulbs
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Dirty air filters
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Creaky floors
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Damaged window screens
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Doors and windows that don’t close properly
#3. Paint, if you and your agent decide it’s a good idea
Sometimes a fresh coat of paint works wonders – but you should talk to your real estate agent before you hire a painter. In some cases, it’s not worth the expense, so you and your agent can decide together whether it’s an investment you should make.
You should consider repainting when:
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You have bright or bold colors on the walls
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Your paint looks tired and needs to be refreshed
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You have wallpaper
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Your walls are damaged
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You have gender-specific bedrooms
#4. Stage each room, focusing on deal-makers first
Talk to your agent about the most important rooms to stage. Most likely, he or she will talk about the kitchen, the living room and the master bedroom – but every community is different, and different buyers value different rooms.
Your real estate agent may suggest that you hire a professional home stager, and if that’s the case, he or she can give you a list of local professionals. However, there are plenty of things you can do to make your home more appealing to prospective buyers. Check out:
#5. Get the lighting just right
When people come to see your home, they want to see every corner – and your lighting scheme should enable that. Open all the blinds and pull back all the drapes in the early evening; once you’ve done that, look for dark spots that you’ll need to illuminate. When you’re learning how to get a house ready to sell quickly, you’ll discover that floor and table lamps can make a world of difference in your space.
