11 Ways to Get Your Home Ready to Sell

Here are 11 ways to get your house or condo ready to sell and stand out from the rest. You are finally ready to list your home to sell but it can feel overwhelming. We are here to help make sure you optimize your chances of selling fast and for a higher price. 

1. Research your local housing market

First and foremost, make sure to do your homework on the value of your home. Start by researching the local housing market through various sources, don’t rely on only one site.  Take a look at comparable sales in your neighborhood to figure out the appropriate listing price for your home. Pay attention to the various comps’ square footage, features and location. Finally, think about how they compare to your home. Want help doing the research and determining the best list price for your home? Email or call our listing specialist.  

2. Find a listing agent

We highly recommend procuring a professional real estate agent to list your home. When interviewing a listing agent, be sure to ask about their experience in your neighborhood, connections to potential buyers, and social media expertise.  Ask us about the Modern Living Group advantage.

3. Buy more light bulbs

Go ahead and stock up on light bulbs. When showing your house to potential buyers, all light fixtures and lamps will be turned on. For this reason, it’s important that all lights in your home are working and bright.  

4. Give your house a deep clean

First impressions are so important. So don’t let trash, dirty floors or dusty surfaces make a bad impression on a potential buyer. Before listing your home (and throughout the entire process), continually clean your home. This includes cleaning toilets, wiping down surfaces, mopping floors, cleaning rugs, and scrubbing bathrooms. If you don't have time, consider calling in the professionals to ensure that your place is always in the best condition.

5. Declutter the home

Decluttering and organizing your space will go a long way in appealing to potential buyers. When a home is clutter-free, buyers are able to focus on the actual home instead of on what’s in it, family photos, knick-knacks, and overflowing closets.  If it doesn’t need to be on the counter, we suggest storing it. Help the potential home buyers picture themselves in a house with clean open spaces. 

6. Call a handyman

When selling a house, you should have a handyman on speed dial. Make sure anything and everything that may need to be fixed (think: locks, hardware, leaky faucets, running toilets, cracks in the walls, broken appliances, squeaky doors, etc) is fixed before listing a home. We don't want buyers to think your home hasn’t been well taken care of, this can be a turnoff to many buyers. 

7. Paint the walls - if needed.

Now is the time to re-paint your home. Start by painting over those bright orange walls with neutral colors. We suggest Chantilly Lace from Benjamin Moore or City Loft by Sherwin Williams. The neutral shades make your home more inviting while appearing bigger and brighter. Adding a fresh coat of paint to your home covers the wall's imperfections while creating a blank slate for potential buyers.  This is not a must but is recommended.  If your home only has a few “scuffs” here and there grab a Magic Eraser, it can do wonders. 

8. Stage your home - if budgeted and desired for a vacant home.

According to multiple studies, staging a home really can help it sell faster and for a higher price. Staging your home’s interior can be easy and affordable.  Don’t forget your home’s curb appeal when staging the home. The outside of a home is the first thing a buyer will see, make that first impression count. So cut the grass, landscape the yard, and remove knick-knacks (think: gnomes and toys). 

9. Hire a professional photographer - This may be in your Realtors plan already.

In this day in age and the current state of our world, more buyers are searching for homes online, and even buying them from only photos. It’s crucial to include high quality, professional photos in your online listing. Without the professional images, sadly many buyers will move past your home. Keep in mind, our team has this included in their marketing budget and is of no cost to you, and includes a 3D scan of the home and/or a lifestyle video.

10. Rent a storage unit

Decluttering and purging your personal items will help you successfully sell a home. By doing that, we suggest getting a temporary storage unit to place these items. This is not a must, but it is recommended if you feel you have things in your home to remove. 

11. Depersonalize your home

When selling a home, you want the perfect balance between depersonalization and creating a warm, welcoming home. This means putting away most of the framed photos and personal items (think: photo albums, toys, awards, etc) throughout the home. You still want it to appear inviting and lived so leave a few nice, framed photos around the house, but also allow them to picture themselves living there.

So, if you’re a homeowner in West Palm Beach and you’re considering putting your house on the market we’d love to help you prepare. Modern Living Group has a team of real estate advisors and a well-talented group of professionals to make the house prep and selling process seamless and effective. Compass Concierge takes care of home prep from start to finish, making sure that your home is beautiful, ready for photos, and showings.