Selling a house can be a detailed process for which you need to plan accordingly. This is based on the fact that buying a house is one of the most expensive things that most people will do in their lifetime. As such, they will look into a number of details so that they can be sure they’re making the right call. This is the reason why you need to know a few pre-sale house preparation tips. They can help you make a faster sale and get more money, so have a look at those outlined below and give them some consideration.
Take Care of Overdue Maintenance Work
If there’s any overdue maintenance work, you should get it done as part of your pre-sale house preparation. When you do this, you can be sure that your house will be more attractive to potential buyers as it’s not quite a work in progress. Few people want to buy a house at a price that’s fair to the seller and then spend more money on repairs and unfinished projects. While this may feel like an additional expense, it will prove to be worth it when you don’t have to keep your house on the market for an extremely long time or sell it at a loss. The fact that you probably already know a few professionals with whom you’ve worked while living in the house should make the process easier for you to do.
Some of the maintenance work that you may need to do as part of your pre-sale house preparation is something like window sealing. A quick inspection of your doors and windows should alert you to possible gaps and cracks that will lower energy-efficiency in the house. Depending on their magnitude, you may decide to either seal them with caulk or do a more extensive job. In fact, if you can afford it, you could change the windows from old, drafty, single-pane windows to modern double-pane windows. These will not only improve the home’s energy-efficiency, but they can also make sure that your house has better curb appeal.
Get Your Plumbing System Checked Out
Another pre-sale house preparation step that you should think about taking is to have your plumbing system checked out. This will help you make sure that there aren’t any leaks or other possible risks of getting water damage. Something as small as a clogged drain may point to a more serious issue, so make sure to have this evaluated by a professional plumber. Other things like strange noises and unpleasant smells from the pipes and taps should also make you call a plumber right away.
Problematic plumbing may lead to a lot of issues for new homeowners, and that will leave a bad reputation for you. This is if they buy the house without having done an inspection first. With a thorough inspection, they’re sure to uncover any issues that may be present and therefore offer a lower price or even refuse to buy altogether. That said, have your plumber make sure that everything, including the fixtures, is in great shape.
Hire a Pest Company
The next pre-sale house preparation that you should think about getting done is to ensure that there are no pest problems. This entails calling local pest control professionals to do a thorough inspection, especially if it’s been a while since you did one. Pests can cause a lot of damage to the house, both structurally and aesthetically, so it’s advisable to make sure that there aren’t any in your home that may wreak havoc before you find a buyer for your home. Pests like termites are especially notorious for damaging any wood on the property and so they should be dealt with immediately.
If you can spot any signs of pest infestation, you shouldn’t hesitate to call professionals to take action. Some of these signs are piles of waste or decomposing bodies of pests, strange smells and sounds in and around your home, and signs of damage to the property. Calling a professional will be the best way for you to make sure that the pest issue is taken care of once and for all. When a property is in an amazing state in terms of this, you can be sure that potential buyers will be motivated to make a speedy purchase.
Get Your Septic Tank Pumped
If your home has a septic system, you need to add pumping it to your list of pre-sale house preparation tasks to work on. Doing this is going to help you make sure that you hand over your house to the buyers in an amazing state, with a literal clean slate to start from. Call the professionals and ask them to have a good look at your septic system to find out if it’s in a good state. If there are any repairs that need to be worked on, have them done immediately so that the damage doesn’t worsen and end up costing you more money to fix or costing you a potential buyer.
Take care to make sure that the entire system is in good shape as this is going to give you peace of mind. You can confidently sell your home and hand it over to the buyer without any issues. Make sure that if the buyer does an inspection, they won’t find anything amiss. It may not cost as much money to make repairs as it could cost you to have your house on the market for an indefinitely long time.
Purify the Indoor Air
Another item to add to your pre-sale house preparation list is ensuring that the air indoors is fresh and pure. You can do this by checking the air conditioner and doing a thorough inspection. If there are any issues, work on them and make sure that the system is as clean as a whistle. This may call for something as simple as changing the filters, or it may call for something more involving. This depends on the maintenance that you’ve been doing on your system over time. If many potential buyers are coming over to look at the house and the season has extreme temperatures, you could look into dehumidifier rentals.
This will prove to be a handy fix that will ensure people can keep looking at your house while you work on either repairing or replacing the system altogether. Find a professional who can advise you on the right steps to take in terms of whether to replace or repair. If you need to make a replacement, you may want to invest in a modern system that can offer a lot. While this will cost you a tidy sum, you can be sure that it will pay well for itself as you can use it as a major selling point.
Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal
The next pre-sale house preparation that you need to work on is improving your home’s curb appeal. This calls for you to revamp the exterior face of your home and make it clean and appealing to people even before they set foot in the house. This way, you’ll set a high standard and you can maintain it throughout the rest of the house with cleaning and repairs that are necessary. Rather than only work on aesthetic improvements, you should target those that offer both improved looks and function.
One of these improvements is the home gate and entry systems you have in your home. For these, you may want to pair a modern system with a new front door or even a garage door. When you do this, you can be sure that this will be one of the greatest selling points to use. This is because many people prioritize security as well as the safety of their homes and families. Make sure that the system you invest in is modern and offers a number of attractive benefits such as the possibility to control the system remotely and more.
Get Your Garage Door Serviced
While making these improvements, don’t forget to service your garage door. A broken garage door or one that’s gone for a long time without any service can prove to be problematic for potential buyers. This is because it’s one of the entry points of your home and it can be a security risk if it’s not in a good state. That said, call your local garage door service and find out if they can service the door, or if it’s a better investment to replace it.
If it’s severely damaged or is almost at the end of its lifespan, this is one of the signs that you may be better off replacing it. Take advantage of this and get a garage door that will boost the curb appeal of your home so that you can get more value out of the project. You can be sure that a clean and secure garage will be an attractive selling point for your home. Find out if you can get a garage door with modern security features. Remember to also clean the garage and organize it so that it presents a lot of potential to people looking at it with the intent of buying.
Update Your Kitchen
Another important pre-sale preparation you ought to do for your home is to give the kitchen an update. This is one of the most popular spaces in a house and it sees a lot of traffic. This means that when your kitchen looks new and appealing, your home is likely to be a lot more attractive to potential buyers. You could make minor and affordable updates such as painting the walls and giving the cabinets a new look with a coat of paint and new knobs. Pair this with a more expensive update like getting quartz countertops installed.
This way, you can balance the expenses and have a major impact at the same time. Shop around for quality items and finishes and have them set up by experienced professionals so that they look as good as they need to look. Pick colors that complement the rest of the house so that the entire house has a good flow. This is the best way for you to tie everything together and ensure that nothing is amiss and the impact can be felt without being too overwhelming. If necessary, replace any old appliances with newer ones that can offer improved function and more energy efficiency.
Tidy Up Your Yard and Garage
Your home is going to be as attractive as the state of your yard and garage, so add these to your list of pre-sale house preparation tasks to do. Take time and declutter these spaces and sell, donate, or give away anything that you don’t need and that is simply clutter. This will make it easier for you to identify any other improvements that you need to make. With excessive clutter out of the way, your home will undoubtedly be more attractive to potential buyers.
Depending on the details of the area where you live and the hobbies that people take part in, you may also get something like a custom boat cover. This is going to improve the aesthetics of your home and show potential homeowners exactly what they can do once they buy the house.
Store Clutter Off Site
Last but not least, you may want to call a moving service to help you get rid of clutter throughout the house. This includes personal effects that make your home feel as if you still own it. Your home should present a clean slate for people who want to buy it. Only leave neutral items that give them an idea of how the home will look once they buy it and add their items. This is a crucial part of pre-sale house preparation that will play a vital role in the way potential buyers view your home.
These pre-sale house preparation tips should enable you to make your home appealing to potential buyers. Take time to work on them and keep in mind that the expenses you undergo will typically pay well for themselves, especially if they’re done well. As a result, you may make a sale faster than you thought you’d have been able to!
