Are you thinking about selling your home anytime soon? If so, the amount of work to be done can feel overwhelming. When you don’t know where to begin, many people “begin” by finding something else to do and leaving the long and growing to-do list for another day.
Procrastination is human nature, and completely understandable. Preparing your house for the market is a lot of work, but the results are well worthwhile. In this post, we’ll zero in on what upgrades you should do and what you can avoid to make the task faster, less expensive, and far more enjoyable.
What Is Staging?
Staging is a term you’ll hear often once you’ve made the decision to sell. While those with less real estate experience may present it as the be all and end all of selling quickly at top dollar, we like to think of it as part of our overall strategy.
Basically, staging is the art of designing your home in a way that appeals to buyers. Sometimes, the homeowner may actually be less than thrilled with the end result. And that is okay because the goal is to sell your house for maximum results.
Staging is also the final touch in getting your home ready for discerning buyers’ eyes. Before we begin thinking about what decor pieces to feature or what goes where, we have to ensure we have a solid foundation.
In other words, we want to take your home presentation far beyond staging. With a holistic approach, we don’t just offer a pristine but superficial surface to potential buyers. Instead, they will see and sense the pure quality of your house.
Cleaning and Decluttering
Chances are, you can skip many of the renovations and upgrades you think you need to sell your home successfully. One thing you can’t get away from is the importance of presenting a clean and meticulously organized home to potential buyers.
There’s a good reason why so many real estate articles and blog posts talk about scrubbing your house until it shines. If you do nothing else, a sparkling home can be an ideal canvas to start your staging. But all the beautiful and high-end decor pieces in the world cannot help you if your space is filled with grime.
This one step is more critical than anything else you do, even staging, so it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. If any of this sounds too difficult or time-consuming, you can always contact a Peterborough real estate agent to connect with a professional cleaning service.
- Obsessive decluttering is your first step. Now is not the time to be sentimental. Decluttering also comes with numerous other benefits. Your life just feels freer when you’re organized; plus, you’ll have fewer boxes to move when the time comes.
- Meticulous cleaning comes next. Once everything is out of your way, you can scrub your home from top to bottom. Pay particular attention to places you might normally overlook, such as the inside of closets and all along the baseboards. Buyers do more than a surface look when considering your home, so you’ll want to do much more than a surface cleaning.
Are you looking for more tips on how to make the most out of your sale in Peterborough or the Kawarthas? The posts below can help:
- What a Concierge Realtor® Can Do to Sell Your Home
- Need to Sell Your House in Peterborough? Here’s What Buyers Are Looking For
- Can You Sell Your Peterborough Home Remotely?
Focus on the Minor Details
Transforming your home top to bottom can seem like a daunting project, but often, we’re looking for simple areas of improvement. Nine times out of ten, we don’t recommend undertaking extensive renovations just before selling.
This can be a never ending process, as once you remodel one room, another will look out of place. A total overhaul is time-consuming and expensive, and your buyer might have a different vision anyway.
Instead, focus on minor improvements that buyers love, which will yield great returns on your investment. Requesting a pre-listing inspection will help you spot any issues that are easily fixable before they ever enter a buyer’s awareness.
It’s a simple step that can help you enjoy a faster transaction with minimal stress. In addition, here are a few relatively inexpensive upgrades that will have a dramatic impact on anyone walking through.
- Fix up any damage from hanging pictures or art or where the walls have been banged up or scratched.
- Refill any old or worn-out silicone around sinks, showers, and bathtubs.
- Polish the floors and seal up any cracks or scratches.
- Replace old lighting fixtures with modern styles. The more light, the better.
- As a finishing touch, you can’t go wrong with a coat of fresh, neutral-coloured paint throughout your home.
The Importance of Curb Appeal
One area of focus that tends to pay off is improving the curb appeal of your home. How does it look from the outside? Sprucing up your yard can ensure that potential buyers are impressed right from the beginning.
Once again, this doesn’t require that you invest thousands of dollars on landscaping. Mowing the lawn, pulling the weeds, and keeping the driveway clear will have an impact. From there, adding a few outdoor decor pieces and a few flowers can further enhance the effect. Installing solar lights around the driveway, walkways, and throughout the garden is a beautiful finishing touch.
Should you move to Peterborough after selling your home? Below, you’ll find a few great reasons to consider it:
- 5 Fun Things To Do In The City Of Peterborough Right Now
- Where Are Peterborough’s Best Eats?
- Is Peterborough Dog Friendly?
Bringing It All Together
Going beyond staging requires an eye for design as well as a lot of planning and attention to detail. It can be challenging to juggle all of these pieces, but with a well-connected real estate professional, you won’t have to.
Working with Peterborough real estate agents like Jeff and Katie means automatic access to every other expert or resource you need to maximize the results from your sale. We even have an in-house staging coordinator who will let you know exactly what you need to do to catch the attention of potential buyers.
A good team will work behind the scenes to get it done while you enjoy the results with minimal effort.
Do you have more questions about how we can help you when buying or selling in Peterborough and the Kawarthas? Reach out today at team@jeffandkatie.ca or call 705-243-9797 for a friendly, no-obligation chat.
