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When selling your home, one of the tipping points that will lead someone to go from buying or passing will be the viewing. Seeing a house in pictures can give a potential buyer a good feeling about a home and the floorplan will let them decide if it is big enough and if their furniture will fit, but viewing a home is when they will determine if they can see themselves living in it or not.
You have likely had that moment after looking around several properties and never really ‘feeling it’ to walking into a house and knowing that this is the one. This doesn’t happen just by accident, though, and there are lots of things that you can do to make your house more appealing to buyers. If you want even more information on how to get the house ready to sell check out this guide.
Make the inside neutral
When someone is walking into a house when they view it the main thing they are thinking about is if they can see themselves living there. This becomes more difficult if the house is decorated in a very distinct style. If there are feature walls, vivid wallpaper or eccentric decor, it is going to make the house feel less like ‘them’ and more like someone else’s. The best thing to do to combat this is to make the decoration of the house as neutral as possible. This will generally mean removing wallpaper and painting the walls neutral colours. Where possible, remove anything that makes the house seem like someone else’s and make it as easy as possible to let viewers visualise what the property could look like with their stamp on it.
Get rid of the clutter
‘Clutter’ for some people may be personal possessions for you, so try to remove yourself from the picture. Quite literally. In a similar vein to making the house neutral, removing as many personal items from the house as possible well help to make the house more appealing to viewers. It will make the house seem more like a blank canvas rather than a home full to the brim with stuff. If you have lived in the house for a while then you have probably accumulated quite a lot of clutter. The first step will be to get out the bin bags and use this as an opportunity to get rid of anything that you don’t need anymore. Once you’ve done this you can put items that you want to keep into storage. It may be that they can go into a loft or garage, or you may want to store them at a friend or family’s house. You will have to move it all eventually, so take this chance to start packing while also making your house more attractive to buyers. It is a good idea to do this before you start taking pictures of the marketing materials of your home. If you are using a company like https://supremeauctions.com/ they may take the pictures for you, so make sure the house is looking as photogenic as possible before this happens.
Make as much room as possible
The next thing that potential buyers look for when looking at a house to buy is how big the rooms look. They will be visualising their furniture in the room, and even though they may have looked at the floor plans this will be when they decide where things could go. To make rooms seem as large as possible try to move the furniture to maximise the available space. This may mean taking coffee tables and other bits of furniture out of the room to show how large the rooms are. The bigger the rooms look the more attractive the house.
Clean the house and fix any problems
This is perhaps the most simple but needed step when getting your house ready to view. Take the time to deep clean the house, getting a professional cleaner if needed. If you have carpets a professional clean may bring out a colour that you forgot was there, and get a good vacuum cleaner to pick up every last bit of dust. Focus on areas that you may not get around to cleaning as often such as the oven, skirting boards and ventilation system. As people are viewing your property they will be looking for ways to haggle on the price, and anything that is broken or not working will give them a reason. Fix any smaller issues that you can yourself, and if you need to get a professional in for bigger problems than it could be well worth the investment. Spending a few hundred dollars when you could be saving on thousands will be worth the effort. The main things to focus on are clear damage like holes in the walls or doors and lighting that are broken. If the problem will cost a lot to fix it may be worth speaking to a valuation expert to see if it is worth investing the extra. You may also consult with professionals such as those from CashQuickBuyers and discuss the possibility of selling your home as-is.
Give the place a fresh coat
If you have been living in a house for a few years without painting the walls you will probably have stopped noticing that the colour has faded or is looking dirty. A fresh coat of paint that is in a neutral colour will immediately bring the place to life and make it look new again. This is especially true for rooms that have wallpaper on them or have been decorated for children. While you are at it paint the front door and the windows if they are hand-painted. This will bring new life to the place immediately.
Don’t forget the yard
If the house has a yard don’t skip on it – it can be a key selling point for some people. If you have a lawn keep it mowed and pull out any weeds. Flower beds can be dug out for a simple clean look that will be appealing for people that want to take on the yard themselves.
You may also consider applying a fresh layer of mulch in your backyard. The material is affordable, simple to work with, plus it accentuates the color contrast in your garden.
Likewise, it’s best to trim bushy shrubs or unsightly trees. It’s essential to resolve any neglected pruning task since you don’t want prospective buyers to think you’ve disregarded your yard. The target is to show buyers that you have a well-maintained home and a well-kept garden as well.
You can also add plants with vibrant shades to bring some color to your backyard. Assess your home style and see if a monochromatic approach or a display of several shades will suit your tone. While there’s nothing wrong with choosing annual plants since they’re more economical, you can likewise select colorful seasonal plants to make your garden stand out.
Additionally, while you’re fixing your yard, remember to remove noticeable algae and dead leaves and clean your filters so the water coming out is clean and clear. Potential buyers might be put off when they see a dirty or defective filter.
Lastly, If you have a paved yard then get the pressure washer out and clean the whole thing as well as your drive.
