Yes, it is a seller’s market—are you considering selling your home at this time?  If you are, here are a few tips to get started.

First, Declutter. Start room by room. Go outside your home and come in through the front door with the eyes of the buyer. What do you see? Go through each room packing up items you want to keep and are not using at this season. I instruct my clients to get colored construction paper and label each color. Let’s say blue represents the master bedroom, pink is the living room, yellow is the kitchen, etc. You get the point. Then when you move, the movers/helpers know which room to put that box in. If you put them in storage, you will know where all the kitchen boxes are.

If you are moving in the next few months, stack boxes neatly in your garage. If you don’t have a garage, you can rent a storage unit. Next, get rid of all items you have not used in the past year. Reduce the amount of furniture you have in each room. Repair cracks in the walls, and refinish the hardwood floors. Just because you have got used to these things, does not mean a buyer will overlook them. Finally, do not forget to address any issues with the exterior—fences, shingles, sidewalks, gutters, and downspouts, wash/paint the home’s exterior, clean windows inside and out, remove all yard clutter, etc. Without curb appeal, some buyers may never get to see the inside. If possible, do a home inspection before you put it up for sale. Fix it now or fix it after the buyer’s home inspection. Don’t forget to have the furnace and A/C checked.

If you have pictures of your home, put them in a photo album and place them on the kitchen counter so buyers can look thru them. Maybe a letter written to a buyer about why you like living there. Schools, yard, neighborhood, shopping, etc. Don’t forget receipts of work you have done recently.

Selling your home doesn’t just mean hiring a realtor to stick a sign out front. There are a lot of preparations you can make to ensure you get the best offer possible in the shortest time.

Are you thinking about selling, is this the right time?  Contact me at [email protected]. I will answer any questions with no obligation.

Until next time…