Here are five tips to help you live in your house while it's for sale.
Selling your home can be exciting, but it can also be stressful living there after you’ve listed it for sale. Here are five tips to help you continue living your life in your for-sale home and reduce the stress that the sales process can bring:
1. Start packing now. In general, you want to open up as much floor space as possible to make your home feel larger. The larger your home feels, the more money you’ll get. Packing up the extra stuff you don’t need right now and storing it in boxes in the basement or garage is a perfectly acceptable and simple solution.
2. Sell, donate, and throw things away. While you’re packing, get rid of things you don’t use anymore. If you haven’t touched an item in a year and it’s not an heirloom or sentimental possession, it’s time to part with it. Sort your things into piles to donate, sell, or throw away to make your moving process easier.
“If you haven’t used an item in a year, it’s time to part with it. ”
3. Make your house squeaky clean. A clean and well-kept home can net you between $5,000 and $10,000 more when you sell. When cleaning, shoot for five-star hotel perfection. Focus especially on making the bathrooms, kitchen, windows, and floors sparkle.
4. Maintain your privacy and safety. Buyers will be looking through your closets and other areas that guests to your home wouldn’t normally see. Make sure to put away valuables in a secure place, and if you’re unsure about something, err on the safe side and lock it up anyway. That includes any medications you keep in your medicine cabinet.
5. Involve your kids. Nothing is better than including your kids in the sales process. Get them involved by creating a game or reward system for helping keep the house clean and prepared for showings. You won’t believe how motivated kids can be when you tie in something fun with a chore.
If you have any questions about preparing your home for sale or selling in general, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’d love to help you.
