Are you ready to sell your home, but worried about the market? It’s a common trend that home sales and new listings decline during winter months. But, if you’re considering selling your home, take this downtime to update and fix up your home so when it’s time for you to sell, you’ll be ready. Here are a few simple and cost effective ways you can take your home from being yours now, to someone else’s Wow!
CLEAN UP THE CLUTTER
One of the most impactful ways to get your home ready is cleaning it up. Clutter can be a major turnoff for buyers. You want to make your home open and welcoming to potential buyers. If you have a lot of junk like old magazines, knick knacks, or other clutter lying around, you’ll want to tidy it up before opening your home up to visitors. A few easy ways clutter finds its way into your home is on countertops, side tables, open storage units, and even the kids’ playroom. Kitchen and bathroom counters are places clutter seems to land as well. Try and find ways to store the items that get left behind, or tuck them away where onlookers can’t see. Just remember, as people are looking to see if the home fits their needs, they will open cabinets, drawers, and closets, so try to eliminate the clutter instead of stuffing it out of plain sight.SMELLS LIKE A SALE – OR NOT…
Be aware of odors. Smoking in your home, pets, cat litter boxes, “accident prone” spaces, and even bathrooms and kitchens can turn off buyers quickly if they have lingering odors. Buyers worry about the work it will take to remove the odors, so do this ahead of time for them. Deep clean the carpets to remove deep set in smells, steam clean tile and grout, and remember, disinfectants can go a long way to improving built on grime in ovens and stove tops. And always remember to take out the trash before a showing.WEAR AND TEAR CAN DESTROY THE DEAL
We all know a little wear and tear is going to happen as you live in your home. Scuff marks on walls, mildew build up on vinyl siding, chipping paint or stain on porches or decks are all normal, but they can show the age of your home to potential buyers. A little paint or pressure washing can take a deal from no deal to deal, fast. So, walk around your home. Look at it with fresh eyes like you’ve never been there before. Grab a paintbrush and fix those minor areas that can draw attention. Although it’s one more thing to do on your task list, it will pay off in the
SEE THE LIGHT
It somewhat goes without saying, but in order to really see what a buyer wants in a home, you need to shed some light on it. With a quick run through of your home, you can quickly replace blown or missing light bulbs. Your job as the seller is to present your home in the best condition possible, so minor neglect of missing light bulbs can take your home from a five star showing to a maybe.
LET’S GET PERSONAL
When a buyer walks into your home, can they envision their family living there? Maybe, but if you have room after room of personal items like a ton of family photos, or personal items that are important to you all around, it can be difficult for buyers to see themselves and their personal items in place of your own. We know you love your family, but try and make your home as neutral as possible. Consider storing away toothbrushes, mail, and, of course, that full wall of family portraits. You’ll be amazed at how “de-personalizing” your home can improve its presentation to buyers.TIME TO SELL CHECKLIST
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Find a Real Estate Agent and find out home much can sell your home for. Here’s our agents
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Consider Your Curb Appeal – Update flower beds, trim
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Shrubbery & check around the exterior of the home
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Neutral Colors & Neutral Décor throughout your home (check out the new hot colors for 2026)
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Knobs, Lights, and Scuffs – Fix loose or missing items
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Declutter
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Take Out Trash
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Remove Odors
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Go Ahead and Take Care of Repairs
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Professional Photos (here’s an example of ours)
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Get Ready for Showings
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Determine a plan for when your home sells
(Do you have a pre-qualification letter for your next
home purchase?)
Do you have more questions on what we can do for our sellers? Check out all the features Mantle does for their sellers. If you are ready to sell your home now contact us
