When you are selling your property, there is always so much that you have to think about, and there is no doubt that it can be quite a stressful situation on the whole. The truth is that there are a lot of aspects to this that you are going to have to consider, and as long as you do so, it’s likely that you are going to have a chance to sell your property for as much money as possible – though of course there are always other factors involved.
Regardless, you’ll need to at some point get your property ready for viewings, and when it comes to that there are a lot of things to think about and bear in mind. Here are just some of the essential things you might want to consider to ensure that you are getting your property ready for viewings as swiftly as possible.
Declutter As Much As Possible
It can often be deceptive just how offputting clutter can be in a property that you are trying to sell. The thing about clutter is that it shows up for the visitor more than it might for you as the owner, and as such you’ll find that it’s hugely important to deal with it as thoroughly as you can. It distracts people from the actual space, so you’ll want to make a point of going room by room to remove anything that doesn’t serve any kind of purpose. That could include personal items such as photos, excessive decorations, overflowing shelves and other random items.
The goal should be to help viewers picture themselves living there, so anything that makes that a challenge should be considered as potentially viable for removal. If you happen to be short on storage and you are wondering how best to approach this, consider renting a small unit for the meantime, or at least neatly boxing items and storing them somewhere genuinely out of sight.
Thoroughly Clean Everywhere
Decluttering is also a preamble to carrying out what is another essential part of the preparation phase – giving the whole home a thorough clean. This is vital, because you need to make sure that the entire property is looking its absolute best at all times, and this is the kind of thing that is really going to help with that. We are talking about a proper deep clean here, not just a surface wipe – so make sure you are doing that as well as you can.
That means scrubbing bathrooms and kitchens, cleaning the inside and outside of windows, and vacuuming and mopping all the floors. You should also make sure the walls are clean, that you have dusted all the high corners of the rooms, and don’t forget things like light fixtures too, as well as skirting boards and the like. You should also make sure you get rid of any smells, such as cooking or pet smells, and any damp smells too.
A clean, fresh-smelling home is going to feel much more cared-for and ready for someone to move in right away.
Let The Light In
As a rule, you’re going to have a better chance of impressing people with your home during the summer, but it doesn’t mean you have to wait for summer to start showcasing your property. You do however need to make sure that you are making use of natural light as well as possible. Natural light makes spaces feel bigger and more inviting, so it’s a simple way to ensure that you are going to have a much better appearance for your property on the whole.
You can let the light in by simply opening curtains and blinds, cleaning your windows, or switching to higher wattage bulbs in spaces where it’s a bit dim and there is not much chance for natural light. Mirrors can help too, as they bounce light around smaller or darker areas.
Fix Everything
If there is anything in the home that is broken, you should be sure to fix it before you show anyone your home. Something like a leaky faucet is certainly going to be noticed, and it’s those small things that add up to give a worse sense of the property. Similarly, any broken wardrobe handles and so on should be dealt with too.
If you have lots of minor issues, that actually means you have a major issue, so it’s a really important point to make sure that you are going to deal with as many of these as you can. Ideally, there won’t be a single broken thing in your property by the time you go to show it to people.
Consider The Curb
You have no doubt heard about curb appeal, and it’s a really important thing that you need to make sure you are aware of if you want to sell your property for as much money as possible. This relates to anything that you can see from the curb, so it’s all about the exterior of the home. Anything you can do to improve this will help, and that can include simple and small things. Get your electric leaf blower out and clear the leaves from the lawn; mow the lawn; fix any fence issues; clean the patio. These are the kinds of things that will really help a lot.
You may also want to consider cleaning and repainting the front door, which is likely to have a huge effect on how the property looks too. Those are the kinds of things that are always going to be really important to consider, so make sure that you have thought about those and you should find it really helps a lot.
As you can see, there are a lot of things to think about when you are getting your property ready for viewings, so make sure that you keep these in mind and it should help a lot. Then you are going to be much more ready for viewings.