Thinking about listing your home?
I often get asked by clients what they should do to prepare their house before we put it on the market. Should I renovate the kitchen? Should I renovate the bathroom? Should I paint? Clean? Remove furniture? The list goes on on and on. Every home is different and with townhomes sometimes your hands may be tied when it comes to exterior work. With that being said here is a list of tasks that you should consider before we get the photographer in to make your home look fabulous.
1) Declutter
Before we do anything we should really look at decluttering. The countertops that have piled up with receipts and newspapers, the closets that have all your old winter jackets, and the TV stands that have DVDs from the 90’s are all places to start. Even if you can throw some of this into storage or have a yard sale this will not only help your move when the home does sell but it will make everything show that much better. It also makes your home look larger!
2) Clean, Clean and Clean
Nothing is harder for a prospective buyer to look past than a dirty house. It actually amazes me how some buyers are instantly turned off because a house may smell a certain way or the kitchen and bathroom haven’t been cleaned. More often than not we see this with investment properties that are tenanted and the tenant just can’t be bothered to clean up. If the tenant won’t clean then it is worth your $100 to bring in a cleaner to help dust off the shelves, scrub the bath tub and vacuum the carpets.
3) Curb Appeal
The first thing people see when they come to your townhome or duplex will be the exterior of the building and the yard and fence if you have one. If you have a yard make sure the grass is cut and the leaves are raked. With a townhome make sure that you don’t have storage on the stairs going up to your home and keep the outdoor area as clean as possible. Again we want to make it look as large and usable as possible. If you have outdoor furniture we will stage it to make it look inviting.
4) Paint
Depending on the size of your townhome or duplex interior painting does not need to be expensive. Its amazing what fresh white baseboards and a newly painted wall will do to a home. Every home does not need to be painted however if it’s been 5+ years since your last paint job it could be worth it to freshen up the walls. It doesn’t even need to be in every room but where there is wear and tear a good paint job can really help. With duplexes you may even consider a fresh coat on the exterior. This is something that we can discuss on and individual basis.
5) Renovations
Depending on the age of the building, the quality of workmanship and the timeline that you are looking for, some small renovations can be beneficial in the end. Often times people are too busy to bother with a renovation but certain changes can really pay off in the end. Kitchens, bathrooms and floors are definitely the most noticeable renovations and a kitchen renovation definitely pays off in the long run.
Every home is different and every home should be treated differently. Our job as professionals is to help secure you the most amount of money for your home when it comes time for you to sell. If we suggest a small renovation it will only be if we believe that it will be beneficial for YOU in the end. If we think that the buyer will be doing their own renovation then it will likely not be worth it to spend a dime. Before we list your home we will discuss with you all of the options that are available. If you are thinking that in the next year you may want to sell your home, now would be a good time to talk to us so we can slowly work towards prepping your home for the most successful sale possible. Give us a call if you would like to discuss different options. We look forward to hearing from you and happy cleaning!
