Avoiding Biggest Seller Mistakes Part 2: Not Preparing for the Sale

Make the most of your sale by preparing your home for the big show(ing). From repairs to how you stage your home, here is what needs to be done.

Repair Completing all necessary repairs at the beginning helps produce a greater return on your investment by elevating the quality of the home. This eliminates issues that would otherwise arise during the inspection process, which could doom the fate of a sale.

Declutter This is done to make all living spaces more spacious and presentable. Removing unneeded items or large pieces of furniture will make rooms appear larger and help prospective buyers envision how they would decorate and live in the home. And no one wants to turn the handle of a closet door to have items fly out from being overstuffed, or to have to be a pro at hopscotch to traverse messy rooms.

Clean Giving the home a thorough cleaning puts the home in its most presentable form. It’s amazing what a difference clean windows, carpets and counters can make. When a home is dust, grime and cobweb free - buyers value them higher. It conveys the idea that the home is well taken care of and is move-in ready.

Stage We all know that everyone has their own unique preferences when it comes to how a home is decorated. So as not to narrow your range of potential buyers, consider their tastes and decorate your home to their appeal, rather than to your own personal inclination. Whether this is done yourself or by professional service, optimize the presentation of your home to maximize its attraction to the masses. For more on this, take a look at my post on staging a home.

It’s too often that one or more of these easy steps are not taken and its costly effects appear in the sale price. Before a home is put on the market, it should be properly prepared if you aim to get the greatest value out of your investment.