Sell your house for top dollar…
Most sellers leave money on the table by listing their homes without doing the prep work. It’s a shame because they could sell faster and for more money.
Don’t fall into the same trap!
Take the time to prepare the right areas of your house and you’ll see your offers come rolling in.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- The psychology of selling preparation
- The most important areas of the home to prep
- Quick wins that make a big difference
- DIY or hire pros to prepare your house
Why Preparing Your House To Sell Is Important
Think about it…
Buyers form their first impression of your home in 8 seconds of walking through the door. If your house doesn’t connect with them emotionally right away, they’ve already mentally crossed it off their list.
Buyers who take homes off market come with two things: a qualified preapproval and ready to make a competitive offer.
Waiting for the right buyer to walk in the door won’t magically happen – you have to make it happen by marketing your home to the right audience.
Companies like Fast Lane Real Estate understand how buyer psychology works and help sellers prepare their homes to attract motivated buyers.
Think about your own buying habits:
How much are you willing to pay for a house that looks dirty and lived in? Or a home that’s move-in ready and obviously well maintained?
Again, it’s obvious:
Sellers who don’t take the time to prepare their houses before listing give buyers the impression that their home has been neglected.
In their minds, it probably means the roof needs fixing, the basement leaks, and the kitchen appliances are close to breaking.
Preparation helps you avoid that perception and keeps the offers coming in.
Begin With A Deep Clean & Declutter
This is where most sellers start the preparation process.
Before you do anything else, you need to make sure your home looks its absolute best.
And I’m not talking about running a vacuum over your floors or wiping down the kitchen counters.
I mean a deep clean that makes your home sparkle. A spotless show home level clean.
Pay attention to these areas:
- Shine every surface until it gleams
- Wash all the windows from inside and out
- Shampoo the carpets and polish all floors
- Deep clean all kitchen and bathroom surfaces
- Remove personal items and excess furniture
- Empty out closets to show off storage
Decluttering is important because you want to allow buyers to see themselves in your home.
The more of your personal items and furniture that fill up a room, the harder it is for them to picture it as their new home.
Focus On The Rooms That Buyers Care About
Not all rooms are equal when you’re selling your home.
Ready for this?
The best room to prepare is the living room. According to recent data, 46% of buyers say it’s the most important room to stage.
After that, it’s the master bedroom (43%), and then the kitchen (35%).
That’s where you need to spend most of your prep time and money.
Living Room Preparation Tips
Your living room should feel open, light, and welcoming.
Arrange furniture so there’s a lot of open space and it doesn’t feel cluttered. Remove pieces that make the room feel small. Add fresh flowers or plants to bring life to the room.
Master Bedroom Preparation
Buyers love to see the master bedroom as their potential personal retreat.
Buyers should immediately feel that this is their master suite. To do that, you need to make the room look like a hotel suite.
Throw fresh neutral covers on the bed, remove personal items, and clear out half the closet to show off storage.
Kitchen Preparation
This one should be obvious:
The kitchen sells houses.
Buyers walk into the kitchen and immediately decide whether they want to move in.
Make sure all countertops are empty except for a few decorative items.
Deep clean all the appliances until they shine and consider replacing any dated hardware if it’s worn or shabby.
Quick Fixes With Maximum Impact
Here’s a little secret…
It’s a myth that you need to remodel your entire home to sell it for top dollar.
Small improvements can generate huge returns in the selling process. All you need is a fresh coat of paint and a few targeted fixes.
Check out these high impact, low cost tasks:
- Fresh paint: Apply fresh, neutral colors to all your walls. Whites, grays, and beiges only.
- Better lighting: Update old light fixtures with modern options. Add better lighting to make rooms appear larger and brighter.
- Hardware: Replace outdated cabinet pulls, door handles, and faucets with contemporary options. This is an incredibly cheap fix but makes a big difference.
- Curb appeal: Mow the grass, trim bushes, plant flowers, and make sure your front door looks welcoming.
- Minor repairs: Fix leaky faucets, patch holes in walls, replace broken tiles. Buyers zero in on small issues and wonder if other problems lurk behind the walls.
Each of these small touches costs very little but signals to buyers that your home has been well loved.
The Staging Question: Do It Yourself Or Hire Pros?
This is a huge question for most sellers…
Do you have the option of doing it yourself, or should you hire professionals to stage your home?
The truth is that professional staging works. Homes that are staged sell faster and for more money.
But does that mean it’s necessary to sell your home?
Absolutely not.
If your home is already furnished with modern, neutral pieces, you can probably stage it yourself by removing personal items and rearranging furniture.
If your home has dated furniture, or it’s vacant, hiring pros becomes more important.
Here are some things to consider:
- Vacant homes: Should definitely be staged by pros. Empty rooms look smaller and buyers can’t imagine living there.
- Furnished homes: Can probably be done yourself with the right guidance. Remove excess furniture and personal items.
- Outdated furniture: Either hire staging professionals, or move the old furniture into storage and replace it with rental pieces.
Do what’s honest for your situation.
Don’t Forget The Exterior
One area where most sellers fall short is the home’s exterior.
Talk about a big mistake.
Buyers see the outside first when they drive up to your home. If it doesn’t make them stop and take notice, they might not even come inside.
Make sure you spend some time getting the outside of your home in top condition.
Checklist for exterior preparation:
- Pressure wash siding and driveway
- Trim overgrown bushes
- Put fresh mulch in garden beds
- Plant flowers near the front entrance
- Make sure the front door is welcoming
These little touches make your home look loved and cared for and increase perceived value.
The Timing Factor
Don’t start to prepare your house after you’ve listed your home.
Make sure everything is done first, then list it.
Why?
Simple.
Buyers won’t walk through your home until you tell them to and the first time they see it might be when you first list.
Complete all preparation before your home is on the market.
The Bottom Line On Selling Success
Home prep isn’t a suggestion – it’s a requirement.
If you want the highest offers on your home, you need to make sure the condition is as perfect as it can be.
Your final sale price is directly linked to how much effort you put into preparation.
For every hour you spend preparing your house to sell, you’ll make more money when it closes.
Start today. Pick one room to work on and get to it.
You’ll see the difference in offers almost immediately.
