Before you can buy a new home you have got to close the deal on selling the one you currently live in. That might not be as easy as you first thought, but there are some things that can be done to make it more appealing to prospective buyers. You do not want to spend lots of money on a home you are leaving, so here are a few tricks that will cost very little, if anything at all.Declutter Big TimeNothing will make your home look smaller than it really is than lots of clutter everywhere. Decluttering is not difficult, but you do need to be ruthless. Go through every room in your home and dispose of anything that you can. Some of it could be stored, some given to charity shops and if something is beyond use, you should throw it away.Some people do this by taking three boxes into each room, one for each destination. This is not a bad idea at all, as it does make it simpler to get stuff out of the house.You should pay particular attention to ant shelves, kitchen and bathroom counters, fireplace mantels, laundry rooms, table tops, and magazine racks. These are typical places for ‘junk’ to collect and will be one of the easiest to declutter.Clutter builds up over time, and you may be surprised how much more room you have for disposing of so many items, and how much easier your home is to clean.
Carry Out RepairsCheck your home thoroughly for any minor repairs that need doing that you have learned to live with, but a potential buyer might pick up on. If a faucet needs a new part, replace it. If you have a door handle that is not working properly, repair it. There can be lots of little things like this that the potential buyer could use against you to try and get a better deal. They can make things out to be far worse than they are, so do not give them the chance and do all the repairs before the first viewing start.Rearrange FurnitureWhen your home has more room you may want to consider rearranging some of the furniture. Check each room to see if anything would look better somewhere else, or if moving something would create a larger space. Anything particularly bulky should be put in storage, as it will shrink the size of whichever room it is in.You should also look at the way the furniture is placed in a room. Often it is around the edge so that there is a space for children to play in the middle, or the TV is a focal point, which it all points toward. Buyers want to see a more open and intimate space that invokes conversation, not watching the TV. Remember too that mirrors, especially if positioned on a wall opposite a window, will give the illusion of any rooms being larger than it really is. Although buyers can see room sizes on plans, it is how big it looks to them that really matters.
Set The Dining TableFor a successful sale, the potential purchaser has to be able to picture living in your home. Staging the dining table helps with this aim. You do not have to set it for the whole family, put one of your best cloths and some good crockery and cutlery for two people will do the trick. Or you could have a runner with a nice centerpiece. You just need your dining room table to look inviting.It has been said in the past that baking bread when there is a viewing will sell a house because the aroma is so inviting. This is not always a practical thing to do though, but you could brew some fresh coffee and have the cups ready on the table.Fresh FlowersIf you have some lowers in bloom in your garden, cut a few just before an viewing and place a couple of vases of them in your home. The smell of fresh flowers makes your home feel fresh and a nice place to be in. If taking some from your garden is not an option, buy some from a local store.Flowers are not the only things that can help. A bowl of fresh fruit on a kitchen work surface can work wonders too.Use A Reputable AgentYou should use a reputable realtor when you want to sell your home. You can find out something about how good they are by looking at their website to see how long homes are there before they sell. The ones that sell them quicker are likely to do the same with yours.You should also listen to any advice they give you. Remember, they will be looking at your home through the eye of a buyer and may be able to point things out that you had not thought of.
Give The Whole House A CleanYou should not just have a quick tidy up and run around with a duster if you’re looking for your home to be an appealing piece of real estate. Your home should be cleaned from top to bottom. Wipe all the skirting boards, light switches, doorframes, and all the other things that you would do as part of a spring clean, even if it is the middle of winter.Don’t forget to make sure your windows are sparkling so they let in as much light as possible, and the blinds or curtains hanging at them should be spotless too. There should be no surface in your home that is not cleaned, and that includes things like the tiles and grout in the bathroom.This thorough cleaning will also get rid of any bad smells that might have been lingering, as they can be the worst things of all for viewings. A fresh clean smell is what you want, not something that smells like rotting wood.Buyers only have to see a small amount of dust or grime to be put off purchasing your home.Give Your Home Curb AppealMake sure the outside of your homes looks good too. Clean the porch if you have one, make sure the door furniture is polished and mow the lawns. Weed any flowerbeds and paths so that when someone sees the front of you home they want to see the inside as well. When the outside of a home is well maintained, it gives the impression that the inside will be too, and that has to be a good sign to anyone considering buying your home.Price It RightYou may think your home is worth more than it is because of the sentimental attachment you have to it. It will never sell if the price is too high. You should look at what other properties in the area are selling for, and use that as a basis to discuss with the real estate agent when you are talking about the price it should be marketed at.They will not want you to overprice it either, as a home that sits on their books for a long time does not do their reputation any good.Really, if you want to sell you home quickly and for a fair price, it is all about making sure it is in a good condition, clean, smelling nice and that you have a good real estate agent on your side. Hopefully, then it will sell quickly and you can then proceed to offer for the new home you are after.
