3 Things To Do Before Putting Your Home On The Market

If you'd like to put your home on the market, you may think all you have to do is put a "for sale" sign on the lawn and wait for potential buyers to flock to your home. Unfortunately, selling isn't always so easy, which is why the three tips mentioned below are important to do before adding your home to the local real estate listings.

1. Declutter

Perhaps you were planning to declutter as you moved, packing boxes for donation as you packed boxes for your new home.

However, clutter in a home can be distracting to a potential buyer, and it can also make your home appear much smaller. Before listing your home, consider donating or storing any clutter you have throughout your home, or come up with an organization system that will keep clutter to a minimum throughout the selling process. Do you have a big recliner in your living room that no one uses? Donate it, or store it in a storage facility. Do you have boxes and boxes of important documents? Consider scanning them into an online storage system, or move them to a temperature-controlled and fireproof storage facility.

2. Repaint the Walls

The color of your walls can play an important role in your sale, so before putting your home on the market, apply a few coats of fresh paint.

This step is especially important if you have an unusual color scheme in your home, or if your walls have become dingy or less vibrant over time due to smoking, exposure to sunlight, or just usual day-to-day living. Choose neutral paint colors, such as off-white or gray, to give your home a spacious, vibrant look and to give potential buyers the opportunity to look past the color and imagine their dream home.  

3. Plant a Garden

Since you hope to be moving out of your home shortly, it may seem like an odd time to develop a green thumb. A beautiful garden, however, can add curb appeal to your home and increase the number of potential buyers who are interested.

Vibrant splashes of color can make your home stick out when potential buyers are browsing online home listings or cruising the neighborhood looking for "for sale" signs. A garden can also give your home a lived-in feel which is important to buyers when they're considering whether they can see themselves building their lives there.

If you'd like to sell your home in the near future, consult with a local real estate agent today. There's lots to do before your home is ready to sell, and a knowledgeable realtor can point you in the right direction.


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