With summer rapidly approaching us and many sellers getting ready to sell, getting your house in tip top shape will help your house stand out above the rest! You want to wow buyers from the first day your home goes live on the market. Here are our best 10 tips on getting your house ready to sell in the summer!
- Fresh landscaping
Now is the time to start preparing your yard for summer. This includes watering and replacing any sod that has died through the winter. Add pops of color with new flowers and liven up that flower bed with some new mulch. Make sure to pull all weeds and add a fun border around the flower bed. Trim back any overgrown trees or bushes. If you have an irrigation system, set it up to run weekly and make sure all sprinkler heads are functioning.
2. Give some love to the exterior
They say that it takes a buyer 5 seconds to decide if they like a house or not. This is why it is so important to have your exterior in great shape! We suggest pressuring washing the driveway, sidewalks, and entrance to the house. Adding a fresh coat of paint will help the outside look brand new! Change out any old or rusted lights and replace with new ones. It may seem silly but make sure your mailbox looks good and is in working condition.
3. Declutter
Time to clean out those closets! If you’ve been putting this chore off, now it the time. Go through all of your closets and get rid of any old toys, towels, and clothes. This will make your closets look bigger and buyers will be able to see how much storage they have available. Also, this helps when it’s time to move so you don’t have to take any unnecessary stuff to your new place.
4. Deep clean bathrooms
If you’re used to get surface cleaning your bathrooms, take this time to deep clean them. This includes regrouting any areas that need it and re caulking around the tub. This can give make your bathrooms look new and fresh. Don’t forget about the ring at the bottom of the toilet. Bleaching all areas will disinfect and also make it smell good!
5. Add pops of color
Adding pops of colors around your house can add a fresh feel and be more inviting. Add fresh flowers to your dining room table or kitchen counter top. Put some bright pillows on your couch to make the room pop. You can add a colorful welcome mat to the front of your house. Also adding pops of color to your bedrooms and bathrooms will wow buyers.
6. Rearrange furniture
Some times changing around furniture in a room really makes a huge difference. Try moving your bed and putting it on a different wall. This can make your bedroom look bigger and more inviting. Even moving around living room furniture can change the whole feeling of a room. Try putting the couch on a different wall or adding chairs to the sitting area.
7. Clean out garage
This goes along with declutting but it will need to be done at some point. While most buyers aren’t paying a ton of attention to your garage, there are ways to make it look better. Hang any lawn equipment you may have. This will add extra space to the area. You can also rearrange any toys or boxes you may keep in there. Think about holding a garage sale to not only get rid of stuff you no longer use but you can also make some money along the way.
8. Scrub baseboards
This is one most people don’t even think of but it makes a world of difference. Clean and scrub all baseboards in your house. Buyers notice if baseboards are dirty or need to be repainted. If after you clean them and they still don’t look good, take the time to paint them and make them sparkle.
9. Professionally clean floors
This is very important especially if you have kids or pets. Having a professional come in and clean your floors will not only make them look better but it will make your house smell better! If you have carpets, a cleaner can get out any old stains and remove any pet smells that have been in there. If you have wood floors, they can steam clean them to shine and look good!
10. Update door knobs
You may have made a confused face on this one but hear me out. Buyers look at a house to see if it’s move in ready or if there are updates that need to be done. If you have old door knobs that don’t match the rest of your house, buyers will take that as something they will need to do. If you have gold knobs but no gold fixtures in your house, change them to match your light fixtures. It seems silly but buyers will take notice!
Now is the time when we have more time on our hands than ever and you can use it to get your home in order for summer. Use these 10 tips on getting your house ready to sell in the summer to get your house ready to go for selling season! As always, we’re here to answer any questions about selling your home and helping you understand the process!