As a rule of thumb, spend as little money as possible when preparing your home to hit the local Comox Valley real estate market. Although buyers will be impressed by the extras, such as a new roof, you aren't likely to recoup the money spent on it. Save your money for home improvement projects for your new home!
With that said, it does make a big difference to invest a little money into updating your Comox Valley home and getting it ready for the market. Minor touch ups may range from putting new knobs on cabinets to painting some rooms. Here are a few tips for getting your house in the Comox Valley ready to sell:
Depersonalize Your Home
The first step in selling your home is to depersonalize it. This involves removing personal items such as family photos, collectables and souvenirs. Not only is this helpful with eliminating clutter, but it creates anonymity. You want to make your home "anonymous" so potential home buyers can imagine themselves living there.
Remove Clutter in Your House
Removing clutter is one of the hardest things for home sellers to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in their house. Clear clutter off of shelving and countertops and remove clutter from garages, closets, basements and attics. Create as much open space as possible to create a clean and spacious feel for the potential home buyers. After your initial 'de-cluttering', invite a friend over and ask them to point out any additional areas they feel you still need to work on. Don't take things personally - you'll need to pack these items up when you move to your new Comox Valley home anyway. Rent a storage unit for a few months to store all of your personal belongings and clutter you have removed from your home, or leave them with a trusted friend or family member. Decluttering your space will go a long way to assist in the selling process.
Kitchen - First and foremost, remove everything from the counters, absolutely everything. Move the small appliances, such as the toaster and blender, to a cabinet. No room in the cabinets? Clear out any rarely used items from the cabinets and pack them into boxes for storage. Don't simply move clutter form one area to another. Create as much space as possible in your cabinets and drawers, so they feel large to potential buyers.
Closets - Pack up or donate rarely used clothing items and shoes. Place out-of-season clothing in boxes and move into storage. Potential homebuyers don't like to see closets crammed full of items because it makes the closet feel small.
Furniture - Move furniture you can live without into storage to create the illusion of bigger spaces.
Storage Areas - Pack up the basement, garage, attic and shed. Homebuyers like to imagine what they would do with these areas. You want them t feel like there is plenty of storage space or their belongings. Remove anything that is not essential. Move the items into storage or, better yet, have a garage sale and avoid bringing clutter into your new home!
Make Minor Home Improvements
Now is not the time to remodel, but it is the time to make small home improvements. Here are some tips:
Paint - Update outdated colour schemes in the house by painting. White paint helps to make spaces feel larger and bright. Painting makes a home look new, and homebuyers will view the home as being in 'move-in' condition.
Plumbing and Fixtures - Expect the potential home buyers to flip light switches on, play with faucets and open anything with a handle. Make sure all fixtures are clean and working properly. Fix any plumbing issues before showing the house. Updating outdated fixtures is an inexpensive way to give a home a modern feel.
Carpet - Unless your carpet looks worn or outdated, you can probably get away without doing anything but hiring a good carpet cleaner. If you need to replace the carpet, find something inexpensive in a neutral colour. Remember that you are not fixing the house for yourself. Your goal is to create a good impression for potential home buyers. Save your money for home improvements in your new Comox Valley home.
Windows and Doors - Check windows to make sure they open and close easily. If not, spray some WD40. Replace any cracked or broken windowpanes or screens, and be sure to get the windows cleaned. Clean all doorknobs and make sure they turn easily.
Odour Control - This is a good time for smokers to smoke outside of the house. For dog owners, try sprinkling carpet freshener on the carpet periodically and keep the pets outside as much as possible while your house is on the market. For cat owners, remember to clean the kitty box regularly.
Clean, Clean, Clean
Make sure that every room in the house get a thorough cleaning before the house is shown to potential buyers. Consider hiring a professional cleaner to deep clean the house every week or so until the home sells. Nothing turns off a potential buyer more than a dirty house!
Hopefully these tips will be helpful when you decide to sell your Comox Valley home! If you take these tips on board and give us a call to help market your home for sale, you'll be packing up and moving to your next home in no time. Our team will also ensure we get showing feedback from buyer's agents to identify some areas we may be able to pass on for improvement.
Posted by Bryce Hansen on
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