A Shore Thing: 9 Important Tips for Selling Your Eastern Shore Home Quickly
These days, a house can sit on the market for months before it finally gets sold. What if you don’t have months to spare, though?
Nobody wants to spend months with a For Sale sign in front of their house. The good news, though, is that there are quite a few different steps you can take to sell your house more quickly, even if you’re selling during the off-season.
Do you need help speeding up the sale of your home? If so, keep reading. Listed below are nine tips that will help you learn how to get a house ready to sell quickly.
1. Repair Your Roof
A leaking, damaged or dirty roof is one of the most common reasons why people might be passing over your house.
Nobody wants to move into a home and immediately have to pay for a bunch of expensive roof repairs.
By taking the time to repair or clean your roof now, you’ll be able to expedite the home sale process.
The roof also enhances the appearance of your home in a dramatic way, so repairing or cleaning it will provide you with the added bonus of extra curb appeal, too.
2. Get Rid of Clutter
If your home is full of clutter, you’re going to have a hard time convincing potential buyers that it’s a great place to live.
They won’t be able to see all of your house’s great features because they’ll be too busy stepping over toys and trying not to get buried in the avalanche of clothes spilling out of the closet.
Before you put your house on the market, take some time to get rid of clutter. Sell it in a yard sale or keep it in a storage unit until you can move into your new home.
3. Improve Your Curb Appeal
A freshly repaired or cleaned roof is one way to enhance curb appeal.
There are a lot of other steps you can take to make your home look more inviting, though.
For example, you can make sure the lawn is freshly mowed and the flower beds have been weeded. You can also fill in any cracks in your driveway or walkway.
Repainting your front door, shutters, and trim and washing the windows can make a big difference, too.
4. Repaint
A fresh coat of paint on your walls can really brighten up your home and make it look much more inviting. Nobody wants to move into a home with walls full of holes or covered in stains, scratches, or scuff marks.
If you don’t repaint the whole house, at least paint over personalized spaces to make them appear more neutral. Your daughter might love her bright pink walls, but potential buyers might not.
If you’re a busy professional who doesn’t have time to repaint the walls, consider hiring professional painters to come in and take care of it. It’ll definitely be worth the extra expense.
5. Invest in Small Upgrades
You might not have the money or time to oversee a full renovation. That’s okay.
Investing in some small upgrades to your home can have a big effect on the overall appearance of your home.
It’s especially important to consider these upgrades in the kitchen and bathrooms.
Things like new hardware, a new shower curtain, or fresh towels can have a big impact on potential buyers. Don’t underestimate the importance of small details.
6. Lighten Up
Lighten up your home, that is.
People love the idea of moving into a house that’s full of light. If your rooms have a dark, dingy feel to them, people are going to be less inclined to choose your home over another one on the market.
Take some time to replace all your light bulbs so that every room is fully lit. Invest in high-wattage light bulbs for maximum effect.
You can also use a fresh paint job to lighten up dimly lit rooms. Focus on painting these rooms a light color like white, cream, or light grey.
7. Depersonalize the Place
You don’t need to totally strip the walls and leave the house empty before every showing. But, you also should make an effort to depersonalize it.
Remember, buyers need to be able to visualize themselves living in your home. They might have a hard time doing that if it’s full of knick-knacks, family photos, and holiday decorations.
When you’re decluttering, make a special effort to get rid of personal items that might be distracting to a potential buyer.
8. Consider Leaving Something Behind
Sometimes, you can speed up the sale process by offering to leave something of value behind for the new buyers.
Maybe you’ll leave your dining room table, the appliances in your kitchen, or even your TV.
If there’s a part of your home that people really love, leaving it behind for them can sweeten the deal and help you get your house off the market sooner.
9. Hire a Realtor
Finally, don’t forget to hire an experienced realtor to help you sell your house.
You might think it’s cheaper or more efficient to sell your house yourself.
In reality, though, most people who try to sell their home on their own eventually end up hiring a realtor when they see how much work is involved.
For Sale by Owner homes also often take longer to sell than homes sold by realtors.
Having a good realtor on your side right from the start will help you get your house in ready-to-sell shape and get it on the market as soon as possible.