Everyone has a similar goal when it comes to selling their home: make a quick sale with maximum profit. However, this doesn’t just happen by itself. There’s a lot of planning and work involved in order to appeal to prospective buyers. Here are some creative ways to get your home ready for an open house.
Store Personal Items
Even though you feel like your home has a sentimental value attached to it, when showing your home, you’ll want to make it look as minimalistic as possible. Think about it. No one knows the history of the home and they’ll base judgment on the first thing they see. So try to make the home look as new as possible with no clutter. Creating a blank canvas will help prospective sellers envision the space of their own.
To make your home less personal, you’ll want to store objects and items in a storage unit for the time being. At least until the home sells and you have a place to store them again.
For furniture, you should keep most minimal pieces in your home and store any that creates clutters or is distracting for the home buyer. You can store many of these pieces in a self-storage unit like the ones we offer at Arizona Storage Centers.
Remove Clutter
The longer you live in a home, the more likely that you have collected massive amounts of clutter around the home. Many people have trouble departing ways with treasured items that have been around forever. The fact of the matter is that most items have no sentimental value and it’s probably taking up precious space in the home. If you’ve been overwhelmed by clutter, you’ll want to go through and sort items by importance and give away anything that you haven’t used in a long time.
To get rid of items, you can do your part and donate them to a charity or nonprofit. Many of these organizations will even pick up the items you discard if you schedule a time online. Be sure to check what items these organizations accept before you do though.
For items that you do want to keep, but need to store for an open house, be sure to add them with the other items in a self-storage unit.
To give your home a clean look, take books or other random trinkets off the shelves. Try using small plants and succulents to fill empty space. Make sure they’re clean and trimmed before the showing.
Organize Closets and Cabinets
This one might be overlooked because they’re hidden. However, many buyers will explore your home, opening doors and cabinets. You’ll want to make the extra effort and make sure these are tidy and look clean.
More organized-looking spaces will allow the buyer to picture each detail and give a far better impression of the home. Other strategies include doing small touchups such as turning your mug handles so they all face the same way and each glass is lined up in rows perfectly.
Resolve Noticeable Repairs
Don’t leave repairs incomplete before a showing because that will surely not sell your home. These repairs include cracked flooring or tiles, holes in the wall, jammed drawers, etc. If you painted your walls a bright color, it might be better to paint over a neutral color that isn’t distracting.
Also, replace any lightbulbs that are burnt-out. You don’t want to have any issues that are noticeable to buyers if you can easily fix it yourself. You also want to show your home in the brightest way possible, so open all curtains and blinds.
Freshen Up Your Home
It goes without saying that when you have guests over, your house should be sparkling clean. This is the same for a showing. Hiring a cleaning crew is an excellent option to get all parts of the house looking good. If you don’t have a cleaner within budget, it’s best to start with the windows and polished the sinks and areas in the kitchen and bathroom first. These will be the most important areas of the home. You’ll also want to mop the floors and vacuum the carpets. Also, make sure to put the lid down before you leave.
As you probably already know, the kitchen can make or break a deal. This area must be as clean as possible to ensure the best offer for your home. if the kitchen is musty, open some windows before the showing to clear the air.
Enhance Curb Appeal
For a potential sale, it always starts with how the outside of your home looks. You can possibly miss out on a deal right away if the buyer doesn’t like the outside areas. It’s important to clean the outdoor area, as much as it is the kitchen. Make sure the lawn is mowed and the weeds are picked. Sweep the areas around the entrance of the home so no debris or leaves are in the way. Your house number should also be visible. The buyer will be looking for that as they pull up.
The Last Step
Do one last sweep before you open the house. Check each room and make sure it’s perfect. If necessary, rearrange your furniture to improve the flow of your home. Allow walking space to get from room to room.
At Arizona Storage Centers, we want to help you succeed in the home-selling process. If you have way too many items in your house, it’s time to store them in our amazing self-storage units that are clean and climate-controlled. A clean, minimalistic home will be more attractive to customers.
