Selling your home and finding your next abode is exciting! Envision your new home: a charming Cape with picture perfect window boxes, or an expansive colonial with the pool house of your dreams. When can you move in!? In Hingham, where sellers do not often take home sale contingencies, selling your current home first is a MUST! This paves the way for you to move confidently and swiftly when you stumble upon that perfect home that you swear was on the cover of New England Fine Living and you swear your name is already on the mailbox?!
Okay, so now that that’s settled - where do you begin? Here are some tips to prep your home for a quick sale that will hopefully yield you the highest sale price. Added benefit: this will help limit the number of panic attacks that would be sure to ensue if you need to keep your house clean for weeks on end while waiting for the right offer.
DECLUTTER:
- Toys are slowly but surely taking over your house - amIRight!? Donate them! Put “most” of the toys away and toss (ahem donate) the toys that haven’t been used in a few months. Store in the basement, attic, garage or in-laws but TOYS VAMOOSH! And I am fully aware that this is a Mt. Everest type feat since you surely have little gremlins running around making it their sole goal to destroy the house 5-minutes before a showing! #kidsaretheworst #puttheminstorage #justkidding
- Kitchen. Clear the countertops and make ‘em shine! I don’t even want to see the roll of paper towels. And store that toaster oven and coffee pot somewhere else. The Cuisinart Mixer can stay out because c’mon, we want the buyer to envision whipping up batches of her favorite brownie recipe like Betty Crocker. Kitchen drawers also need to be cleaned out and organized. You don’t want someone opening a drawer only to see it stuffed to the brim. Over stuffed drawers indicates to the buyer that you don’t have enough storage.
- Closets. Same goes for closets. Organize them and clean them out. If a buyer is impressed with a totally coordinated walk-in closet, they will dream that they too can have a life of coordination. We all know that’s not happening but let’s play to their dreams people!?
CLEAN:
Buyers want a clean house. Spend some sweat equity and clean your house so you could throw a four course dinner on the floor. Have your carpets and upholstery cleaned. Touch up any paint scuffs on the stairs or walls - magic eraser is your friend! And for Gods Sake, clean the toilet bowls.
UPGRADES:
Buyers notoriously have no imagination so make your home look fresh for them. You’d be amazed at how a quick lighting fixture upgrade or swapping out the kitchen/bathroom cabinet hardware can go a long way in freshening up your home. And if your walls look tired, seriously consider putting up a fresh coat of paint throughout the interior. The investment will pay off.
FLOWERS:
What does Mama always say? A good host must always have fresh flowers. Seriously - a bountiful bouquet of hydrangeas on your kitchen table can shoot you right into the next feature story on HGTV.
PERSONAL PHOTOS:
You looked gorgeous on your wedding day. And seriously... those babies you have are the cutest kids we’ve ever seen. Here’s the problem. You want buyers to imagine THEIR OWN beautiful babies bouncing around your home. We go back to buyers having no imagination. Just go with me on this one and take down the personal photos.
Contributed by: Caroline Widman of Compass