There is a lot of good advice on the internet on how to get your home ready to sell, and it's all good. But taking all the advice can be very time consuming and can put a pretty good dent in your pocketbook. We've found that many of our clients just don't have the time and/or the money to do all the things they would like to do to make their house the best it can be.
If you're one of those people who is seriously time-challenged, then here are four things you can accomplish that will have a major impact on getting your home sold in the least amount of time for the most money.
1. Go through every room with some boxes, and pack away anything that you won't need again until you are in your new home. This includes personal items, family photos, knick-knacks, clothes and shoes that you won't need until next season . . . anything that would be considered 'clutter'. Think empty . . . the emptier your closets the better. 'Less is more' applies to every room and every closet in your home.
2. Do a thorough Spring cleaning of your home top to bottom. Thoroughly clean the appliances, walls, wood, and windows. If you don't have time to clean everything yourself, hire a home cleaning professional, carpet cleaner, and window washer. This is money you need to spend if you can't do it yourself. It's that important.
3. If you have any items in need of repair, like leaky faucets or non-functioning bathroom fans, have them fixed now before you list. We're not suggesting that you update or renovate, just repair items that are not functioning properly.
4. If it's not too cold or wet to get outside, make sure your front door area, porches, decks, sidewalks and landscaping look as good as they can for this time of year. Clear off as much of the old man winter gunk as you can and make sure everything is as clean as possible.
It's always a good idea to call your real estate agent and have him/her come and preview your house and give you ideas on specifics that will make it more appealing to most buyers. Based on feedback from your agent, you may decide that it's worth it to invest more time and/or money to remove and store extra furniture, remove any wallpaper, have some rooms repainted, or other sprucing up.
