Preparing Your Property for Showings and Open Houses: A How-To Guide
If you're planning to sell your home, you logically want to get the best price possible for it. You can help maximize the sale price by preparing the property before taking marketing photos or showing it to buyers via open houses. Maggie Cano Realtor of Fresno, California, has helped countless clients successfully and efficiently sell their properties. This guide explains how to prepare a house for sale.
Declutter and organize your belongings
Clutter tends to make rooms look messy and overstuffed, which can also make them look smaller. This is the last thing you want when you're showing a house. Start by getting rid of excess clutter. Investing in organizing solutions like bins and boxes can help you discretely tuck away your things. Other ideas for successful decluttering include focusing on one key area of your home at a time and devoting a set amount of time to decluttering every day.
Boost your interior aesthetic appeal
You want to make the inside of your home look as welcoming as possible to prospective buyers. Small aesthetic upgrades can help. For example, cover chipped painted walls with peel-and-stick wallpaper. Easy to use peel & stick wallpaper can be applied and repositioned until it's in the perfect place. You can select from existing designs or create your own custom design, giving you a broad selection of patterns to choose from.
Remove personal items from public view
When people visit your home, you want them to be able to picture themselves living there with their own families. One way to help make this fantasy happen is by depersonalizing your property as much as possible. This means getting rid of personal knick-knacks, like children's crafts, and family photos. Replacing these things with neutral decor, like vases of flowers, create a more welcoming space for strangers.
Give the entire house a deep clean from top to bottom
Once you've taken care of the big jobs like decluttering and adding aesthetic touches, give your entire home a deep clean from top to bottom. This is especially important if you have pets, as you want to make sure that there isn't any animal hair lingering and that the space smells fresh. If you don't have the time or tools to tidy up the place yourself, hire a professional cleaner. You can find local service providers in your area via Thumbtack.
Take steps to boost curb appeal
When it comes to preparing a house for real estate photos or buyer visits, don't just focus on the inside. The exterior is just as important. It's the first impression people get of the property, and. you want it to be a good one. You can boost curb appeal by mowing the lawn, repainting the front door, and planting fresh flowers out front. If your home's exterior is faded and peeling, you might also want to hire a pro to give it a fresh paint job.
Plan your pictures carefully
With all the above steps done, you can take some compelling marketing photos of your home. You want to plan these carefully. For example, it's best to take them during daytime, as sunlight will make the space look brighter and larger. Format offers additional real estate photography tips, such as using a DSLR camera with a wide-angle lens. If you aren't comfortable taking your own pictures, hire a professional.
Staging a property for showings or open houses takes time and effort. However, your hard work will be well worth it. Proper preparation will make the house more attractive to buyers and can even help you command a higher sale price. These tips can help you get started.
For more advice on selling and buying real estate, check out the blog.
