Learning how to sell your home can be overwhelming, but don’t worry, we’ve got your back. We are going to break down all the steps in this post so that you know exactly what to do and we’ll walk you through the process. The first step is to find the right realtor. Then it’s time to prep your home for the market!
Here’s a quick video that outlines 6 major steps to getting your house ready for the market:
Read on to learn how to sell your home:
How to Clean Your Home
Cleaning is the foundation to anything else that needs to get done in order to get your house ready to sell. Buyers do not want to walk into a dirty home, no make how nice the house is! Cleaning your house starts on the outside. You want the buyer’s first impression of your home to be a good one.
Make sure to keep your lawn mowed and trimmed while it’s on the market. Rake any leaves and keep twigs out of the front and back yard. You also want to fix any small repairs on the outside of your home, and inside, such as holes or marks on the walls.
Once you start cleaning inside, clean from the top of the ceiling to remove cobwebs all the way down to your floors. Don’t neglect your windows or baseboards. We’ve created a separate post on how to clean your home from top to bottom with more tricks and tips for every room in your home, inside and out! Read it here.
Cleaning your house also includes making it smell clean! Use a cleaner with a lemon scent for your kitchen and bathroom areas. You can use baking soda on carpets to leave them smelling fresh. If you have any pet stains in your home, we’ll tackle how to remove these in the next section.
How to Clean Pet Stains Before Selling Your House
We understand that pet owners love their furry family members, but they may not love the stains they sometimes leave behind. Pet owners should know that once a pet goes in a spot the spot becomes a revisited bathroom area! Because of this, even buyers with pets will not want to see stains on the carpet. So let’s go over how to get those unwanted stains out.
For set-in stains, you may need to rent a pet cleaner. Buy a stain remover product to put on the stain. Be sure to spread the product in a wide circle around the top of the stain. Remember that the stain has spread underneath, so it’s larger than just the visible top area.
Once the product has sat, rub to remove the stain with a cloth to break it up. Then use the pet cleaner to remove the stain. For fresh messes, blot the area with a cloth (paper towels aren’t absorbent enough), in a wide circle around the area.
You can also use natural ingredients to remove any pet stains. Use a solution of one part white vinegar and two parts water on the stain. Don’t keep the vinegar solution on too long or it will bleach colored carpet. Blot the area, then use baking soda to eliminate the odors!
It’s very important to not only visibly remove the pet stain, but the odor as well. This way in the future the area won’t be marked for any pets to go on! If you need more help with removing pet stains, we have written a separate article on this topic. Click this link to learn more about how to clean pet stains and remove pet odors from your home.
How to Declutter Your House (and Depersonalize it)
Decluttering and depersonalizing your home can be more detailed than you think. Read all about how to get your house decluttered in this post. This is one of the most important things to do when you put your home on the market, so be sure you declutter properly!
The extra stuff in every room needs to be removed and packed away. You will also need to make sure that the furniture in each room is decluttered. Furniture should accentuate the room, not fill it! Make sure you aren’t packing your rooms full with furniture.
As a quick overview, make sure that there are no messes in your home, and remove all clutter! You want your home to be streamlined so that your house will showcase your home and not all of your items. This way buyers will fall in love with the rooms in your home.
You will also need to remove all personal items from each space so that buyers don’t keep being reminded that the house isn’t their home. The key areas to depersonalize are your kitchen fridge, your living room, master room, bedroom, and any family photos in the hallways.
Don’t worry, we don’t want you to remove everything! The next section is an overview of how to organize your home. This way you can still get to the items you use everyday and live in your home easily while your house is on the market.
How to Organize Your House
Organizing your home may seem like a lot of work, but if you’ve implemented the previous steps, it’s easier than you think. We cover how to organize your house here. Every room is included in this post so you can organize your entire home! The main areas that need the most organization are your entryway, kitchen, and garage.
The central reason of why you want to organize your home is so you can utilize it while it’s on the market. This will help you not feel like everything has to be perfect the entire time your home is for sale. It will also help you maintain your clean home as well as pack up items so you won’t have as much to do when it comes time to move.
How to Stage Your Home
Staging your home is important to allow buyers to see the potential of your home instead of how it looks with all of your belongings in it! In the case of selling a home, buyers don’t need a blank canvas, but a staged one!
Staging a room has a lot of factors, but the most important one is that the furniture fits well in each space. Too much furniture in a room, or furniture that is too bulky, will make the room look smaller. You want buyers to have space to move around each room easily.
For every room, make sure to use neutral colors for the walls, flooring, furniture, and bedding. You can add pops of color in decorations, pillows, throws, or artwork. Be careful not to overdo your decor, you want to make sure that your home stays decluttered!
Another big factor for staging is the lighting in your home. Be sure that your windows are sparkly clean and that you remove any heavy drapes. You want to open shutters and blinds to let the natural light shine in. The lightbulbs in all of your spaces should also be bright, no dim bulbs are allowed when your house is on the market!
We have also broken down every room in your home, so you can concentrate on that specific space to make sure it’s staged perfectly. Click here to learn how to stage your home.
Rooms to Remodel Before Selling Your House
Remodeling can be an option for some owners, talk to your realtor about your options. The only time you need to remodel or renovate is if an area in your home will keep you from receiving an offer.
Remodeling your home consists of major construction changes, like removing a wall to open up the floor plan or changing the pipe works to install a new bathroom. Renovating is upgrading the surface area of a room, like painting or new countertops, so it’s a lot cheaper.
The two main rooms that most homeowners renovate or remodel are the kitchen and bathrooms – every buyer’s favorite. Weigh your options with your realtor and don’t do anything unless you know that the changes will increase the value of your home. You want a good return for your investment!
Be sure to call in professionals to do the work. Create a budget and schedule and stick to both! Your realtor can help you check the market for remodeling or renovating ideas and show you your competition and what buyers are looking for.
Remodeling and renovating is not for every seller! But if you think you want to read about your options, click on this post for more information before you decide.
Now You’re Ready to Sell Your Home Fast!
Now that you’ve gone through all of the steps you are ready to sell your home. You and your realtor can officially put your house on the market, so congratulations! Now it’s just time to remember all the hard work you’ve put in and to keep up the work.
Click here for a free Sellers Guide. This guide contains more information and current market related info that you will need to sell your home.
It’s easier to maintain a clean, decluttered, and organized home than it is to have to start from square one. Keep up your yard and the inside of your home so you’ll always be prepared for showings.
The KonMari method is a different way to declutter your home. Click here to learn more about this! Here is a link to a post that covers how to sell your home with pets and what to do with your pets during a showing.
Learn how technology has changed the real estate industry. See this post on how technology helps buy a home so you know what buyers are looking for. Click here for information on what to know about a house showing so you know what’s expected on both the buyer’s and seller’s side.
For the process of buying a house and selling your home at the same time, read this post! We will cover the pros and cons of how to buy and sell a home. For information on open houses, read about the benefits here!
If you want a few tips on things you can do quickly before a showing to spruce up your home, watch the video below. Buyers are going to love your market ready home and all the work you’ve put into it!
Click on this link to download our Free House Showing Checklist: https://mailchi.mp/ffaaa0f07521/free-house-showing-checklist-for-sellers
