Preparing to move can be an overwhelming process – and selling your home may be the biggest obstacle. However, there are definite things you can do to prep your house for the sale. These might cost a little money and take some time, but ensuring these items are checked off your list will make your home more likely to sell. When preparing to move, follow these five tips:
- Paint walls a neutral color. You have to choose white or beige walls, but do select a few neutrals – including neutral blues, browns and grays – and paint your home the same colors throughout. This will give the house a unified feel. Remember, buyers want to be able to imagine themselves living in your home, and picture their stuff in place of yours. If the walls are a bold or outrageous color, they won’t be able to do that as easily.
- Make spaces appear bigger. Even if you’re showing off small bedrooms and tiny closets, there are ways to make these places seem more spacious than they actually are. Remove half of the clothing in the closets and place them into the attic, garage or other storage. In a similar vein, remove a few furniture pieces if a certain room feels too crowded. A potential buyer will see that there’s room to spare – and they’ll think, if your stuff fits so easily into the space, theirs will too!
- Clean and repair. You want a potential buyer to be focused on your home’s amazing features – not the fact that there’s an unpatched hole in the drywall, or spots all over the carpets. This will cost money upfront, so if you can’t afford to repair and clean everything, just focus on the most crucial fixes.
- Enhance your home’s curb appeal. Keep the lawn neat and tidy, and make it look easy to maintain. Repaint peeling paint, repair loose siding, re-seal an asphalt driveway – basically, do whatever you can to make the home’s outward appearance shine!
- Create a “homey” environment. Whenever a potential buyer stops by for a showing, be sure to leave classical music playing on the stereo. In addition, make sure you’ve run the vacuum and cleaned up any toys. Finally, purchase a cookie-scented plug-in candle that you can leave on while gone.
Preparing to move can be exhausting, but following these tips is worth it if you want to sell your home quickly. Once you’ve sold your home and are planning the move, contact the professionals at North American Van Lines for assistance.
