7 Tips for Preparing Your Home to Sell

If you’re thinking of selling, you HAVE to read these tips!

Thinking of selling your home? Just one month into the new year and it has become clear to all of us at Coldwell Banker Heritage that 2018 will be a VERY busy year for the Dayton Real Estate market! If your New Year’s Resolution was #NewYearNewHome, then it’s already time to get serious. Knowing that, we polled our agents to find the best advice for those getting ready to sell their home and here’s what they had to say:

Clean, Clean, Clean

By far the most popular suggestion from the agents was to clean your home-top to bottom. Angie Jones, from the Vandalia office, reminds potential sellers: “‘being picked up’ is not clean” and encourages homeowners to look closely at the small details like light switches and air returns.

Of course, if cleaning isn’t your thing, there is no shame in hiring someone to do the work for you-just remember to focus on keeping the space clean until your home is sold!

“Plan to leave for work thinking that your home will be shown that day.” – Indy Sumner, Springboro office

Declutter

Equally as popular: DECLUTTER. Wendy Klawon, from the Beavercreek office, offers this great advice: “Declutter. And then, when half your stuff is packed away, take half of what’s left and pack that up too!” Remember that removing a few items of furniture and extra appliances on the countertop can allow for a space to feel much bigger.

Get Inspected

While the word inspection can be a scary one, this is truly one of those situations you are better off to get out of the way early on! Linda Leesman, from the Yankee Centre office, elaborates, “Before the seller puts the house on the market, they have an inspector come in and do a house inspection. They will know what needs to be repaired and can choose to do so before putting it up for sale. Fewer issues an hopefully no major surprises.” By addressing these potential problems early in the selling process, you are able to eliminate many potential issues during negotiation.

Eliminate Odors

Working to eliminate any offensive odors is probably pretty obvious to any potential seller, but Jan Augenstein, of our Beavercreek office, encourages sellers to be wary of the use of air fresheners, scented candles, and spray. An overuse of these products can not only make people sick but can also have some buyers suspicious, thinking there may be something to cover up (pets, smoke, dirty carpet, food odors).

Think About Storage

“Remove and store any items you aren’t using (out of season clothes, holiday décor) to make all storage and closet areas look less full. Buyers are always looking for more storage, so the less cluttered storage areas look, the better.” – Laurie Westheimer, Yankee Centre office. Remember that buyers are looking at every aspect of the home, not just the living areas.

Stand at the Front Door

Karen Powell, from our Springboro office, tells sellers to stand at their front door and take in what needs updated or painted. “Sellers never come in through the front door and you only have one chance to make a first impression!” Examine your home from that angle and you may be surprised at the details you don’t notice every day. Your buyers begin to form an opinion from the moment they open the door, so capitalize on this to help sell your home.

Let Us Help

The best thing you can do if you’re planning to sell your home? Talk to a professional! An agent can not only give you additional advice on prepping your home to sell, but can also provide you with a competitive market analysis to understand what your home values it. And of course, all the best agents are at Coldwell Banker Heritage! So, if you’re ready to begin the selling process, reach out and let us help you along the way!