Thinking of selling your home soon? Here are my Top 5 Tips of free or low-cost methods for getting your home ready for the market!
- Improve First Impressions:
-Always make sure the grass and bushes are trimmed, no weeds in the flower beds and add at least a large pot of flowers by the front door.
-Something that many homeowners miss: clean the front door and door hardware– they are always dusty and dirty. One tip: after wiping the door down with water, use lemon oil on the door if it the stain finish is wearing. You can also use lemon oil on metal doors that have a finish that looks old and tired. This will spruce the door up for at least a few weeks. If the finish is bad, do a quick sanding and either paint or stain to make the door shine.
-Sweep the front porch (removing all leaves, dirt and spider webs).
- Declutter: This goes for the yard (remove all the empty flowerpots, old toys, and stacks of wood/bricks) as well as the interior of the home.
-Walk through the inside and outside of the home while pretending that you are about to have a very important guest visit. (That’s when I REALLY see all the things that are out of place!)
-Use a basket on the kitchen counter or desk to put your daily mail or those last few papers you can’t put away.
-Clear off most things from all surfaces: dressers, counters, tables.
-Put away shampoo bottles in tub/showers.
-Closets: Make sure that the floor areas are clear. Go ahead and box up the items that will not be used and put in storage or in the garage.
–Remember: you are moving, so you will have to go through all this stuff anyway.
You might as well do it in the beginning so that the house will show its best!
- CLEAN: Clean like you have never cleaned in your life!
-Wipe down every doorframe, doorknob, baseboard, light switch, and cabinet. (A box of baby wipes are useful for this step. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work wonders as well.
-Clean grout on tile (look on YouTube for DIY options for grout cleaning).
– Sweep away the dust bunnies and rent a carpet cleaner if the carpet is worse for the wear.
- Pay attention to the details:
-When making beds, make sure that the spreads are straight, and the sheets are not handing out.
-Look for exposed cords and tuck them away.
-Check all lightbulbs and replace the burned-out bulbs (even lamps).
-Unpleasant Odors? Ask a friend walk into your home to check for odors since it’s difficult to notice different unusual odors in our own home. Smells from dogs/cats and certain foods (brussel sprouts, spices, etc.) should be neutralized. Don’t use 1 million plug-ins, because the fragrance can be over-whelming. Scents like “linen” or “spring” tend to be the best.
- Add new (or barely used), fluffy towels to bathrooms and luxurious looking bedding in bedrooms: With this one, it is easily faked. Walmart, Target and Tuesday Morning have great options for towels and linens if the linens you own are well worn. When staging, white does wonders.
-Add white, fluffy towels in the bathrooms for a spa feel.
-For a luxurious feel in bedrooms, use a white or cream bedcover, fresh pillowcases, and pillow shams in the same color. You should have at least two rows of pillows (one row with pillowcases, one row with pillow shams). Then, you can add a few colorful throw pillows for the finishing touches. Fold a coordinating blanket at the foot of the bed to complete the luxurious look!
These are a few suggestions you can do that require very little money and can make a big impact on selling your home. The improvements should yield you more money in the end!
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