I met Caryn through my dear friend Lauren. Caryn needed to sell her house because she was retiring and was looking to downsize. We had some time before we were set to list Caryn’s home. She had a lot of life events happening and we planned about a month and a half before putting her house on the MLS.
There’s so many questions that come up from Seller’s when they are considering selling their house.
One of the more common questions I get is, what should I do before I sell my house?
The answer to that varies based on the condition of your house and what is the maximum value that can be obtained from the property? 
Let’s consider a home like Caryn’s that has been well maintained, but may have a few items that need love before listing. In this instance, there were two minor holes in the drywall that needed some spackle and paint. In many instances I am happy to help my clients with minor repairs and doing what they should before they sell their house.
I was happy to put in the work with Caryn’s listing. Patching the hole’s was a breeze, and I was fortunate that the walls are textured so it made it even easier to make the repair. Then, I noticed the trim around her doors to the back deck. The trim was peeling and needed to be scraped and repainted. So, I got that done for her and brought in a crew to clean the exterior side of the windows. While the guys were doing the windows, I was busy working on power-washing the house and garage door.
The items you should be looking for before selling your house are the small repairs and items that can easily be fixed up. You don’t need to go through a whole remodel just to sell your house! Handling the small items like making sure all of the light bulbs work properly, fixing small holes in walls and along trim and baseboards, and making sure there has been a deep clean of the house are all the more important items to focus on before selling.
Another great trick is taking out half of the items in each closet. Pack those items away and don’t worry about Buyer’s seeing your boxes. They know you’re about to move! Buyer’s will think there’s so much storage space when they go to open your closets and see organized shelves, and not items falling on top of them when they open the door.
Feeling let down that there isn’t more you could do before selling your house?
Well, there is one thing that is relatively inexpensive and adds tons of value to your home before you sell.
Adding fresh paint.
Yup! It’s as simple as putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls and you’ll gain thousands of dollars in value and sell your home faster. The trick is: you need to paint it well! There’s too many DIY jobs that are not the best and actually detract from the house. So, go ahead and paint if you are good at it and won’t make mistakes! Otherwise, hire someone – which could get pricey and not be worth it in the end – or do it yourself.
Once all of the repairs are made and the fresh paint is on the walls then there is only one thing left to do. Deep clean! It’s why I provide my Seller’s with a free cleaning service prior to their listing going live. There’s already enough stress with trying to work and get your house ready to sell. Having to deep clean it is not another task most people want on their to-do list. That’s why I provide my cleaners to provide a deep clean to the house so it shines when Buyer’s take a tour.
Before you sell your house make sure a few items are taken care of such as: making small repairs, applying a fresh coat of paint to the walls, emptying out half of each of your closets, and giving your house a deep clean – whether by you, or by a cleaning crew. These are fantastic items to tackle before selling your house and will sure to help attract a great Buyer.
