How to Prepare My House To Sell

How do I prepare my house to sell?

So, you're selling your house. With some advance planning and follow through, the way to prepare your house to sell can be painless and in fact, a pleasure.

Here are tips for selling your house.

Things You'll Need

• cleaning supplies
• boxes
• paint
• tools

Instructions

1. Get Organized. If you're selling your house, this is the time to de-clutter your house. Get three large boxes and mark them Trash, Donate, Keep/Pack. Go through each room with an objective eye. Move items that are not necessary for everyday living into one of the three boxes.

   The more spare room you can make on shelves and in closets, makes your home look larger. When you're selling your house, it's an excellent time to get rid of extra stuff you've accumulated. Donate it or if it's broken, toss it. Move the boxes you've packed to a storage unit or a corner of a garage.

2. Pack Personal Items. To sell your home, potential buyers will come through your house to view it. These people are strangers, so to be safe, pack up small personal items that are valuable to you--be it monetary or sentimental value. By packing knick-knacks and other items, part of your packing will be done when it's time to move.

   Also, take down and wrap photos of family members. Pack them securely in a box and be sure to mark the box FRAGILE. Potential buyers want to envision their family in their new home, not your family.

3. 

   Repair and Paint. When you're selling your house, look for broken or worn looking features. You may be used to the front door that sticks but a buyer may shy away from buying your house if too many items are in need of repair. Invest in the time to make repairs yourself or the expense of hiring a handyman to fix those little things you've been meaning to get around to.

   Paint walls and cabinets that are dirty or dated. Neutral colors appeal to more buyers than bold, individualized choices. New paint is relatively cheap and freshens a room better than anything else.

4. 

   Clean. Obviously, when you prepare your house to sell, be sure to clean. A clean house is more appealing obviously than a dirty one. Make sure the kitchen counters are cleared of clutter and sparkling. Shine the bathrooms so they look hotel fresh. Vacuum and fluff pillows.

   Rid your bedrooms of "bedroom-itis" smells by laundering comforters and shams. Open windows when possible to freshen all rooms. Set a light-smelling candle out to freshen small rooms that have little circulation. Just the scent of the candle (unlit) may be enough to brighten a room.

5. 

   Take Care of Pet (and Other) Odors. A clean house also means your house smells clean. If you have pets, ask a trusted (honest) friend to tell you if they can smell that you have pets when they walk in the door. If so, toss old litter boxes and replace with new ones. Scoop several times a day. Wash rugs and scour floors. You may need to remove the pets during showings or open houses for safety reasons.

6. Use these tips for selling your house, and you'll be ahead of the pack when you sell your home.

Tips & Warnings

• Bake cookies before a showing or an open house. Cookies smell like home. Better yet, leave a plate of cookies out for the real estate agent and the potential buyers to enjoy.

• Listen to feedback from your real estate agent when you're selling your house. If a potential buyer didn't like the orange kitchen walls, other buyers may not like them either. Paint them.

• Be patient in a down market. It may take longer for your house to sell.

Resources

• How to Set the Selling Price for My House
• How to Protect Your Earnest Money When Buying Real Estate
• How to Consider the Resale Value of a Home