Home Sellers: How to Prepare Your House for the Real Estate Market

There is so much to do when it comes to preparing to move. Finding a real estate agent and ally like Franz Redl, tying up loose ends, and making sure you are personally ready for the transition are tasks that are just the tip of the iceberg. When you put your current home on the market, that’s where the real bulk of the work is. And if you want to sell your house quickly and for its market value, you have to put in a little elbow grease to help your property shine.

With so many projects and so much planning, you need to stay organized and informed. So enlist the professionals and services you need, turn your phone into a dynamic real estate tool, and plot out your strategy to ensure a smoother process.

Improving Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is more important in the current market than ever before. With the popularity of online listings and home browsing, an attractive exterior can mean the difference between a potential homebuyer making an appointment for a showing versus someone clicking right on through. When working on your curb appeal, don’t forget to do the following things:

• Step Up Your Landscaping
• If you have a lawn, make sure your grass is cut and neat. Keep bushes trimmed and shaped, and replace ones that are starting to look lackluster. Add fresh mulch to flower beds and around tree bases. Don’t be afraid to work with color — add some seasonal flowers to create interest and help your home stand out from the rest.

• Pressure Wash Walkways
• Over time, your driveway and walkways can become stained and dirty from weather and wear. Rent a pressure washer and blast away stains and grime. If you have more money than time, look into a local pressure washing company that can do this integral task for you.

• Touch Up Your Front Door
• An easy way to spark attention through curb appeal is a fresh coat of paint on your front door. If you like the color you have, a new layer of paint can make it pop. But don’t dismiss the idea of a new, eye-catching color that works with your home’s exterior.

Pro Tip: Turn to helpful apps like iScape for landscaping suggestions and DIY Tip Genius for home maintenance.

Staging Your Home’s Interior

Once you’ve got them through the front door, you have to wow them with what’s happening inside. Chances are, you don’t want to invest too much in big renovations — talk to your real estate agent about that. You may even want to DIY where possible. However, solid interior detailing and a few upgrades can really highlight what your home has to offer.

• Repaint Walls
• Neutral colors appeal to more potential home buyers, so if you have a few walls in crazy colors, now is the time to change them. Chances are, you don’t have the time to repaint your entire house. Fortunately, having your home professionally painted can be pretty affordable.

• Declutter, Depersonalize, and Detail
• If you’ve ever walked through a model home, you probably noticed there weren’t piles of mail and personal photos everywhere. Decluttering and depersonalizing your home are two of the most important aspects of staging. Start packing up and storing personal items you want to keep and get rid of things you don’t want or don’t need to take with you. Furthermore, hiring a professional service to clean your house ensures every inch and corner is clean for its best impression.

• Upgrade Flooring
• Floors certainly take the brunt of abuse around the house. Have carpets and rugs shampooed, and spend time buffing and polishing hard-surface floors. If the surfaces are beyond repair, talk to your realtor about whether or not replacing them is worth the investment before putting your house on the market.Pro Tip: Turn to an app like Handy to help connect you to a variety of home pros. You can find highly qualified painters, house cleaners, and even someone who can refinish your floors. It takes a lot to sell a home, and it can feel like a sprint. But the fact is, it’s a marathon, and organization and communication will be crucial throughout the rest of the process. Keep your phone close, your ringer on high, and a charger within reach so you never miss a call or can quickly outsource help when you need it.

  When you put your home on the market, you want to do everything you can to make sure you get the best selling price possible. Start with the outside: Your home’s curb appeal is its first impression. Once you have buyers through the front door, wow them with freshly painted walls and a clean and decluttered interior with updated flooring. With a smart approach, you can land the perfect offer in no time.