When you list your home for sale, two goals overshadow everything else: to get the best price possible and to sell your home as quickly as possible. For many home sellers, those all-important goals seem to occupy every waking hour. Achieving both goals depends on a host of factors and involves numerous steps that usually unfold in a consistent order.
There are two steps early in the process that are most important, however. Correctly pricing your home according to the current market conditions and prepping your home to look its best are essential first steps in the home-selling process.
When you sell your home with Stone House Properties, we’ll develop a customized marketing plan that includes a pricing strategy for your home. We’ll take into account current market conditions in your area of Berkshire County or the Upper Hudson Valley. We have brokers who specialize in both markets.
When it comes to preparing your house to list, there’s a lot you can do to reach those twin goals of getting the best price possible as quickly as possible.
Here’s our top ten tips for selling a home in the Berkshires and Upper Hudson Valley:
1. Hire an Expert Real Estate Agent
An experienced real estate agent will be able to help you accomplish every other item on this list. Our agents are local experts who know the Berkshires and Upper Hudson valley real estate market. Their extensive knowledge and experience combines with their love for the area and their connections to lawyers, bankers, land planners, and other professional colleagues in the real estate industry.
2. Make Needed Home Repairs
Your Stone House Properties agent will help you determine if any repairs are needed to help ensure a successful sale. It’s important to weigh the expense of repairs against the potential return on investment.
This article from The Balance offers a comprehensive review of home repairs that can affect the sale of a home. Your Stone House Properties agent, however, will have the best take on which repairs are the most strategic to make
3. Pay Attention to Your Curb Appeal
Improving your home’s curb appeal will make your home look its best in listing photos.
It’s important to focus on all sides of your home when improving curb appeal. Every part of your property should be cleaned, groomed, and tidied.
Do an inventory of your home’s exterior, landscaping, and hardscaping. Consider carrying out the following tasks to improve curb appeal:
- Painting or restaining exterior siding (See below for more tips about painting.)
- Painting picket fences
- Replacing old or rusted gutters and downspouts
- Trimming trees and shrubs
- Reseeding the lawn
- Cleaning outdoor living areas such as porches, decks, and patios
- Replacing old or worn-out exterior light fixtures
- Power washing walkways
At the minimum, get your lawn as green and as full as possible. Prune and shape shrubs and bushes. Rake out dead leaves from garden beds and put down fresh mulch. Remove anything that’s dead or unhealthy, such as trees or unsightly branches. These are DIY tasks that don’t require a lot of money or time.
4. Banish Clutter Inside and Out
Your home should look its best in listing photos and during viewings. It needs to look good during the entire selling process, and that can be a challenge! One of the best ways to get your house in shape to sell is to get rid of clutter—inside and out.
Rooms and surfaces free of clutter are easier to clean and to keep clean. Clutter-free rooms look bigger and more spacious. And clearing clutter allows buyers to see the best features of your home.
We’ve all seen picture-perfect homes on Pinterest, Instagram, and other online platforms from HGTV to home decor magazines. Those images are professionally staged to make interiors look more appealing and polished.
Whether or not you stage your home, however, your rooms should be free of the following:
- Personal photos
- Sports memorabilia
- Displays of collectibles such as dolls, pottery, figurines, and the like
- Toys
- Pet gear
- Sports gear
- Newspapers, mail, and magazines
A clutter-free kitchen means clearing the following items from counters and surfaces:
- Small appliances
- Cooking utensils
- Cutting boards
- Heavy-duty food appliances like stand mixers and bread machines
- Spices
- Knife racks
- Dish racks
- Cleaning supplies
A clutter-free backyard helps buyers focus on the best attributes of your property. They can’t do that if they see any of these items:
- Visible trash and recycling bins
- Bicycles
- Toys
- Sports gear
- Garden tools
Setting aside time to put household items away and make sure they stay put away can keep your home in the best possible shape through the selling process. Getting rid of household items your family no longer uses will speed the process when it’s time to pack up for the move.
5. Paint Where You Need It
Take an inventory of your home inside and out. If exterior siding is in good shape, you may not need to repaint. Or you might need to repaint only the trim.
If your interior rooms are already painted in neutrals and the paint is in good shape, wholesale repainting may not be necessary. Freshly painted woodwork and trim may do the job. But if your walls have faded colors or scratched paint, repainting is a relatively inexpensive way to refresh and rejuvenate.
Bright colors in rooms can be a turn-off for buyers. That’s why the prevailing advice is to use a neutral palette.
6. Make Strategic Updates
Replacing items like faucets or dated lighting fixtures can bring a higher return on investment than redoing an entire kitchen or bathroom. Be sure to consult your real estate agent before embarking on any updates, however. Your Stone House Properties broker can advise you on the most strategic updates to make and also take them into consideration when pricing your home.
7. Rent a Storage Locker
Resist the urge to declutter by storing items in your attic, basement, or garage. Buyers want to see as much empty space as possible in these areas. Rent an off-site storage locker where you can pack and move items you’ll be taking with you. An added bonus is that you’ll be doing the packing ahead of time.
8. Let in the Light
Good lighting is critical when taking photographs of your home for a listing. It’s equally important when buyers view your home. Make sure all lights are working. Changing lightbulbs can make rooms look brighter and more inviting.
During home viewings, turn on all the lights. Open windows and shades to let in as much natural light as possible. Clean windows and screens let in more sunlight than grimy ones.
9. Make Sure Listing Photos Are Perfect
Most buyers will see your home online first. High-quality, well-lit photos are a must-have for a successful selling process. A professional photographer is far and away your best bet for the highest quality photos.
10. Leave for Open Houses and Viewings
Buyers sometimes feel uncomfortable with sellers in the house. So the best practice for home selling is for owners to leave the premises during open houses and home showings.
This means every family member need to leave, including and especially dogs and cats. It’s never a good idea to leave these pets home alone during an open house or home viewing. Many people are allergic to dogs and cats. Or they may simply be uncomfortable around pets. Taking your pets with you is better for them and for your home-selling goals.
