Your Guide to Preparing Your Home for Sale

Preparing your home for sale can be nerve-wracking and overwhelming, especially for first-time sellers. Just thinking about selling your house is already a big decision, even more, if you are already in the process. It takes a lot of work, time, and even emotion to get your home ready to sell. Now, to make things simple and easy for you, we listed our tips and created this guide to help you get through the preparation process smoothly.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Speak to a Real Estate Agent

Before all the packing begins, consulting a real estate agent is the key to a successful preparation. Your real estate agent will guide you throughout the process on how to prepare your home for sale. Choose the best Austin real estate agent that you trust, and you're fully comfortable with. A good real estate agent will communicate with you and will be transparent throughout the process. If it is your first time selling your home, you will need an agent who will be patient, someone who can guide and help you understand the preparations and the transactions as time goes by for a smooth selling experience.

Allow your chosen agent to walk around your home, and don't be hesitate to ask questions if there are any repairs to be done if there are remodeling to be done. Your agent will let you know the best options and improvements to be made to help you prepare your house for sale.

Maintenance and Repairs

First impressions really matter and when it comes to preparation, never neglect the exterior of your home. Some buyers won't continue the trip inside once they see the outside of your home. If you can't DIY some area in your home, call a handyperson that will do the job for you. Invest some money and time on doing repairs on the exterior of your home, such as your power washing your driveway, patio, fence, mailbox, windows, doors, chipped paint, and even cobwebs hanging around can put off buyers.

Showing a well-maintained home from the outside will get buyers excited to see what else is within the home. Now, repairs and maintenance aren't just for your home's exterior. The interior is much more important. Patch any holes in the wall, and replace cracked floors and tiles in your kitchen counter. Consider painting your room with neutral colors, especially if you have it painted violet or green. Neutral colors create an illusion making the room look bigger than it is.

Get your electric and plumbing checked, clean out, or change your old carpet — if it needs a deep cleaning, you might as well do it. If you have pets, remove stains or smells that could affect your buyer's buying experience. By doing repairs, renovation, or remodeling, you are doing work to increase your ROI. Make your home presentable and move-in ready! That's how some buyers want to see the place.

Create an Inventory

Packing is another task that requires time and a lot of work. It sure is stressful. A tip on somehow you can save time and declutter your home is to create an inventory. An inventory will help minimize the hassle and frazzle when packing. It also makes things easier when moving! Sorting your things by room will make it easier as well. Coming up with a system will help you become organized throughout the process.

Declutter and Depersonalize

While you are doing your inventory, sort out things that will not be useful in your new home or within the home you are preparing to sell. Label some boxes as donating or selling. Getting your home organized in preparation for moving will honestly help you benefit at the end of the day. You'll be emotionally ready when it comes to moving day as you start to remove your items.

Decluttering your home helps you focus on specific parts of your home that needs to be improved — even the little details matter! It helps maximize your space and layout, creating more room for ideal staging options. Your real estate agent or a home stager can help you when it comes to preparing your home for the market. Another tip! Deep clean your home to make things a lot easier for you when showings start.

Staging

Once everything is all set, it's time to give your home a good impression to potential buyers by calling your home stager. Home staging in Austin emphasizes the property's strengths and corrects or minimizes the weak points of your home so it can give your property a positive first impression.

Staging allows homebuyers to visualize how the home will look when moving in. It creates an emotional connection between the homebuyer and the property. They don't want to see what else needs to be done; make your home appear move-in ready.

Enter the Contract Period

After all the work you've done to prep and show your home, it's a great feeling to attract a buyer. Even better if they make an offer. As you enter the contract period, be prepared to negotiate. Chances are the buyer will ask for repairs, paid closing costs, or a drop in the home's price. Determine your negotiation flexibility, listen to the buyer's requests, but keep emotions out of it. (Just because you love the upgrades you did five years ago doesn't mean the buyer will.) Most real estate transactions go through a few hiccups. Know ahead of time what your priorities are and what you're able to concede, where you need to stay firm, and when to walk away.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Preparing your home for sale may not be an easy task; to make things easier, contact the best real estate agent to guide you throughout the process.

Here at Spyglass Realty, we believe that having your home professionally staged by a Certified Home Stager is essential before putting it on the market. We offer this for free. Check out our Austin homes selling experience and services to know more.

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