3 Easy Steps to Get Your Home Ready to Show and Sell

By Carolyn | August 31, 2020

You closed on your new house. You packed up, and you moved everything into the new place. The moving process is coming to an end. 

… But you’re not quite done. 

You still have to sell your old house, and that means getting it “show ready.” Occasionally, we have clients ask us for help preparing their home to be shown and sold, and we always boil down the process to these three key areas. 

1. Clean and declutter

Scrub, scrub, scrub. 

There’s nothing more off-putting to a prospective buyer than checking out a new home and finding dirt or grease or even mold left behind. Not only is it unappealing on a surface level, it also indicates that the previous owner potentially didn’t take great care of the place. 

“So what else did they leave unattended?” 

It’s a common, reasonable thought if you enter an open house only to find dirty floors or a less-than-pristine bathroom or kitchen. Make sure you make a strong impression with any potential buyers by giving your old home a deep, thorough scrubbing at all levels before putting it on the market. 

Think, “What would I be looking for if I were interested in this home?” and clean accordingly. You may even want to hire a professional or a company to give you a hand with the larger areas, such as floors and windows. 

2. De-personalize

Imagine walking into an open house and seeing a family photo on the wall or a collection of family photos on a countertop. 

It’d be kinda tough to envision yourself and your family in that house, right? 

For some showings, you may want some photos to stay — and that’s fine — but make sure they don’t have a personal touch. This extends beyond photos as well. You’ll want to be mindful of any sentimental personal objects or art around the house that may deter a prospect from feeling at home. 

3. Mind the exterior, too! 

Have you ever heard the saying, “You eat with your eyes first?” 

The idea here is that the look and presentation of your food makes the first impression, setting the stage for how appealing (or not!) your meal will be. That first impression applies to buying a home, too. 

When a prospective buyer pulls up to the house, they’re going to see the exterior — the yard, the landscaping, the front door and porch, the design of the house itself — first. Keeping the interior clean and making any necessary repairs inside is vital, too, but making sure the exterior looks appealing is no less crucial. 

Make sure your grass is mowed, the landscaping looks tidy and well-kept, and any exterior repairs are made to doors, shutters, railing, etc. 

That first impression could make the difference between them coming in and starting a conversation and simply leaving for another showing. 

Wanna make sure you’ve done all the right things before showing your home? View our moving services or set up a consultation directly with Haney Home Concierge. Contact us at carolyn@haneyhomeconcierge.com.