The Dos and Don’ts of Prepping Your Home for Sale

There are a lot of different things you can do to prep your home for sale but lets talk about some that may not be as obvious as you. might think!

I know what your thinking, just put some things in boxes and you’re good to go but 9/10, the first time I walk into a house it is no where NEAR show ready. Now I know not everyone can make their home look like a perfect, decluttered, show home that no one actually lives in. A lot of my clients have kids and that is almost impossible to do for them. I mean after all you still have to live there and there is only so much room in closets and storage.

So let’s break it down.

Top 3 things you should be doing to get your home ready!

START PACKING

If you are moving in the Spring/Summer start packing up all your winter jackets, boots anything that you wont be using between now and your move. This is an easy place to start because you will be getting a head start on packing but also making room for you to store other things that you might need but don’t need sitting out.

PURGE

While you are busy packing away all the stuff you won’t be needing in the next few months also consider if you have used this item in the last year, do you still need it? Getting rid of things now is another easy step because once your home is sold and your getting ready to move your plate gets very full and you don’t want to end up moving things you don’t need to a new home.

This includes, clothes, household items, appliances, toys, books you name it.

*Bonus tip, start with just 1 room at a time. Otherwise it can become overwhelming. This step can take time but it will be so worth it. I promise!

FINISH ANY UNFINISHED PROJECTS

We all have them! Start a project but leave out the last couple of step to just finish it off. Go back and finish those! NOW! No wants wants to walk into a house and be like oh great now I get to finish all these little projects the previous owner didn’t do. 1, it doesn’t give the new buyer much confidence because then they start to wonder what else is unfinished around the house or that was just left. So this is an important one.

Now I know I said top 3 but of course I will include a few other important steps to prep you home for sale!

1. Remove all items from above kitchen cabinets (if applicable)

2. Remove all person/family photos from the walls (de-personalize)

3. Declutter all counter tops (kitchen, bathroom, dining room tables, top of dressers, bedside tables, side and coffee tables! Only 1-2 items per surface, if any.

4. Remove all shoes, jackets, sweaters etc from front entry way.

5. Replace any burnt out light bulbs. (This may seem like a silly one to add but trust me.. it’s a common one)

Now onto the DON’TS of prepping your home for sale!

You’re probably thinking the don’ts of prepping your home? Are there any..?

Well I’m glad you asked! YES! Some of these might surprise you or maybe they won’t. So lets get right into it.

PAINT COLORS

Now if you are planning to do any sort of paint touch ups or repaint some walls before selling then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE… just spend a few minutes.. log on to pinterest or google and look up neutral paint colors. Now is not the time to paint that accent wall a deep purple like you have always wanted. Light neutral tones are the ONLY paint colors you should be choosing for paint before you sell.

True story, one time I had someone call me to come for a market evaluation of their home, on the phone they told me they had just had the whole thing painted, new carpets and they were ready to list ASAP… I show up and they open the door and I kid you know, it took everything in my being to not burst out in laugher. They had just painted the entire house yellow… and like not a soft creamy almost white yellow… it was like hello sunshine yellow. The new carpet they put in…. was so dark it was almost black it looks like a total bumble bee house! If they had just called BEFOREEEEE they did all of this I would have advised them to choose a color like Benjamin Moore White Dove, or Light Pewter and to go for a much lighter carpet… that home would have sold much faster and for more money… (I never ended up listing that house… they wanted wayyy too much for it - It never did sell!)

THINK YOUR HOME WILL SELL WITHOUT PREP!

Some people just think their home is perfect and they don’t need to declutter or depersonalize! They even get defensive when you suggest a few minor things.. YIKES!

This is a huge mistake. If you truly want your home to sell quickly and for as much money as possible you want it to look its absolute BEST. Don’t take offence it really is nothing personal.

Using the tips above in the dos section can help you get a step ahead of the game.

A few other don’ts…

1. Don’t cramp all your belongs in every cupboard and closet… this can make potential buyers feel like the home doesnt have enough space or storage if you have to cram everything in and can barely open the doors.

2. Don’t forget, odors linger! Pets and smoke leave behind a strong odors and you probably are so used to the smell you don’t even notice it but potential buyers will smell it the moment they walk into your home. Clean those carpets and any fabric material surfaces your pets may lay on.

Well I hope you enjoyed this blog on getting your home ready to sell. It can be very overwhelming but just remember to start 1 room at a time or 1 room a day you will feel good about accomplishing that 1 room and can move on without ripping your entire house apart all at one.

Happy prepping!