Selling a house can be more than a little stressful. Any task that involves such a complicated process and so many pieces can certainly be intimidating. But if you tackle such a job in an orderly fashion with a step=by-step approach, it becomes far more manageable. That’s exactly why we’re giving you this checklist for homeowners selling their houses in Lawrenceville. Take a look, and find out how to make a tough job easier.
Declutter (Especially Living Areas)
Before listing, the first thing homeowners selling their houses in Lawrenceville need to do is declutter (along with deep cleaning, of course). Potential buyers don’t want to see and can be put off by all that stuff you’ve accumulated over the years.
Here’s how real estate pros explain the importance of decluttering: “Less is definitely more when it comes to getting your house ready to show. . . Doa clean sweep of counters, window sills, tables, and all other visible areas, and then tackle behind closed doors: closets, drawers, and cupboards – since virtually nothing is off-limits for curious buyers. If the house is overflowing with stuff, buyers might worry that the house won’t have ample space for their own belongings. They won’t sign up to pay a mortgage if they think they’ll also have to rent a storage space.”
Not only will a thorough decluttering make your house more appealing to buyers, but it will also make everything so much easier when you get ready to move. For more tips on effectively decluttering, contact an experienced agent at 770-668-4888.
Depersonalize
On a related note, your decluttering needs to involve depersonalizing, too. Homeowners selling their houses in Lawrenceville need to not only get items out of sight, but also remove their personality from the house.
The idea is to make the house a blank slate so that potential buyers can imagine all their belongings in place and envision themselves living in the home. Buyers should be able to see your house as their home. So be sure to get rid of all those highly personal items like family photos, weird art, quirky knick-knacks, and heirloom furniture.
Paint Interior Walls
Next, homeowners selling their [market_cit] houses should repaint interior walls. Usually, there will be colors that won’t appeal to buyers, and almost always there will be scuffs and stains on those walls.
But you do have to choose the right colors. “You’re pretty safe with a neutral color because it’s rare that someone hates it, but the other benefit is that a light color allows [buyers] to envision what the walls would look like with the color of their choice . . . It’s the seller’s job to help buyers picture themselves in the house. If they don’t feel at home, they’ll probably look at other real estate options.”
See to Handles, Knobs, and Bulbs
You might not think this matters all that much, but it really does. For small improvements and upgrades can make a big difference. You donat want to give buyers any reason, however small, to have doubts or second thoughts.
So get busy and install new cabinet knobs and drawer pulls. Replace all those loose or poorly functioning doorknobs. And be sure to replace old, dim, dusty light bulbs.
Work on Curb Appeal
Because first impressions are so critically important, homeowners selling their houses in Lawrenceville should definitely work on improving curb appeal. After all, the outside of your house is the first thing buyers see when they pull up for a viewing.
As industry pros always remind us, “buyers do tend to judge a book by its cover. You want to make sure potential buyers’ first impression of your home is a good one – and inspires them to stop by the open house or schedule a tour – so they can see more. By investing some effort in relatively easy fixes, like planting colorful flowers and repainting your front door, the outside of your house can beckon prospective buyers to come on in.”
Stage It
Although many sellers skip this step, they shouldn’t. Numerous studies have shown that staged homes sell faster and at a better price than homes that aren’t staged. And your best bet is to hire professional stagers.
“Home stagers will evaluate the current condition and belongings in your house and determine what elements might raise the bar. . . .Stagers know the real estate market, and what sells, so it’s important to take their advice and not take offense when they make big changes. Their job is to help drum up interest from potential buyers, which is always good news to the seller.”
Put Away Valuables
This is an item that is often left off of checklists for homeowners selling their houses in Lawrenceville. But it’s important, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention it.
Keep in mind that you’ll have all kinds of strangers traipsing all through your home. You don’t know these people at all, so you need to exercise a little caution. And that means getting valuables like jewelry and fine art out of sight, preferably locked up or stored in another location. Just take some prudent steps to make sure nothing you value highly disappears.
Hire a Qualified Local Agent
This item is last on our checklist, but should probably the first thing you do. And that is to hire a qualified local real estate agent. A good agent can bring to the transaction a host of skills and advantages – such as access to more targeted buyers, negotiating expertise, and help navigating the whole complicated process.
So if you’re among those homeowners selling their houses in Lawrenceville, don’t miss out on the many benefits a local agent can provide. To find out how our agents can assist you, just give us a call at 770-668-4888 or send us a message today!