Getting Ready to Sell

Selling your home is a big decision for anyone, and for most it’s one of the biggest financial decisions of their life.  It means welcoming strangers into your house where they’ll judge your decor, your property as a whole, and assign it all a value.

There are a lot of positives of selling your home though: it signifies change which could mean you’re moving to a neighbourhood you prefer, your kids have moved out and you’re downsizing, or you need more space for your growing family.

Your Realtor’s job is to make this process as quick and painless as possible, while making sure that you still get a price that appeals to you.  Here are a few things you can do to help:

1. De-clutter

   • Everyone has different taste when it comes to decorating and you want potential buyers to be able to visualise their own belongings in the house, which is difficult if your belongings are already there.  Get rid of the non-essentials or put them into storage.
     

2. Organize

   • Small details can have a huge impact!  Make sure that all your dishes are washed and put away neatly into the cupboards, and pay attention to the little things like having all your mugs facing the same direction.  In your closet, make sure that your shirts are buttoned up and facing the same direction.

3. Clean

   • Your place needs to be spotless for all the buyers coming through.  It should be the cleanest it’s ever been; hire a professional to do it for you if it's not your thing.  People will be looking at every inch of your home so it’s better to be safe than sorry!

4. Touch-Ups

   • Have a few holes in the wall from where old pictures were hanging?  It’s best to touch them up beforehand so that the place is move-in ready for buyers.  If you’ve opted for bold, colourful walls, painting them more neutral tones could help appeal to a wider audience.

5. Get out!

   • Have you ever gone to an open house where the owners were still home?  It’s a weird situation and it makes buyers feel uncomfortable.  They might not be as willing to open all the doors and cupboards, and they won’t be as honest about their thoughts on the property.  It’s better for everyone if they feel more comfortable while they look around.

The goal is to sell your home for as much as possible and these are just a few things that you can do, as a seller, to help.  In different situations you may want to do a little bit more, and in other cases you might want to do less but hopefully this gives you a bit of a starting point.