Do These 6 Things Before Putting Your Home on the Market

Selling a home is never easy. On the one hand, it can be a very emotional process because of all the memories you have there. On the other hand, it can be hard to find a buyer willing to pay the asking price. After all, there are many factors affecting home affordability today. These include increasing home prices and mortgage rates. Therefore, if you want to attract the right buyers, you have to put in a bit of work. At the same time, not everyone has the time and money to do a complete home makeover. That’s why we’ve compiled a small guide on the essentials. Do these six things before putting your home on the market to attract buyers and maybe even increase the property value.

1 The first step before putting your home on the market is to declutter

We tend to accumulate a lot of necessary and unnecessary stuff throughout the years. And even if you try to declutter regularly, you usually do it superficially. However, now that you’re planning to sell and move into a new home, starting with a thorough decluttering process is essential. 

You must declutter your home before putting it on the market to let buyers notice its beautiful features.
A woman decluttering her home.

First of all, you’ll have fewer items to transport when you move. And second, it will enable buyers to see your home’s stunning features instead of being distracted by all the clutter. Furthermore, when a home is overcrowded with stuff, it appears smaller.

A piece of advice: take your time and don’t leave it until the last second. Decluttering an entire home takes time. You should carefully assess every item to decide what stays and what goes. You can even organize a yard sale to sell some of the things in good shape. Or you can donate them to local charities.

2 Take care of updates and repairs

You might be wondering if your should update your house before you sell it. Well, this depends mostly on your budget. Of course, any update you make will increase the property value. However, if the budget is tight, you can simply add a fresh coat of paint to the walls. This will immediately spruce up the place. Just make sure you use neutral colors if you want to attract more buyers. Bright colors usually scare them off.

Regarding the repairs, you should consider doing a pre-sale home inspection. This will enable you to identify and fix all minor and major issues early. It would be best to wait until a potential buyer asks for an inspection. Because if they find any problems, they can negotiate a lower price or back out of the deal.


One of the most important things to do before putting your home on the market is to take care of all the repairs.
Various tools used for repairs.

3 Depersonalize your home

The main reason to depersonalize your home is that buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living there. So, before putting your home on the market, here’s how you can achieve this in two easy steps:

  • Remove all personal items. This includes family photos and mementos, as well as collectibles. Furthermore, don’t forget to hide away your toiletries when potential buyers come to view the property.
  • Remove all the valuables. Firstly, your taste in antique furnishings and artworks might not match the buyers’. Secondly, they can get stolen or damaged during an open house.

Since these items are precious, you should hire professionals to handle them. That’s also why you should hire movers even when moving locally. Furthermore, this is the safest way to transport your belongings. Plus, movers often offer packing and storage services, which might come in handy until you sell your home.

4 Make it squeaky clean

Even if you sell your home as-is, you still have to clean it properly. This is one of the easiest and most effective staging techniques. And if you want to do it right, you should consider hiring cleaning professionals. Once their job is done, keeping the property clean will be much easier. Just dust and vacuum before viewings.


Make your home squeaky clean by hiring cleaning professionals.
Two cleaning professionals cleaning a home.

In case you can’t afford to hire professionals, don’t despair. Just ask some friends or family members to help you out. It’s not that you can’t do it by yourself, but you’ll finish faster if you have some help. Make sure you scrub every inch of that place. You should also pay close attention to the windows. Because dirty windows keep the light out and can make your home look gloomy.

5 Don’t forget about the exterior

Don’t forget about the exterior when you prep your house for sale. After all, this is the first thing that homebuyers will notice. Even if you don’t have the money to repaint the outside of your home or the fence, you have other options. 

For instance, you can improve curb appeal by mowing the lawn and trimming trees and shrubs. Or, if you want to put your home on the market during winter, you should always shovel the snow and create a clear path to the house. Furthermore, make sure that your home is properly lit. This will make it more inviting and enable buyers to see its features.

6 Find a good real estate agent

Before you put your home on the market, you should find an excellent real estate agent. A person who has a lot of knowledge and experience in this field will help you sell your home faster:

  • They can advise you on increasing property value and staging.
  • They’ll market your home using every means at their disposal. Thus, they’ll attract more potential buyers.
  • They can take care of all the paperwork for you.

In conclusion

Once you decide to sell your home, you shouldn’t rush to place a “for sale” sign outside. Take the time to do these 6 things before putting your home on the market. This will enable you to make the property more appealing to buyers. At the same time, things like updates and repairs can increase property value. Once you take care of all these things, finding the right buyer and profit from the sale will be easier.

Images used:

https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-a-woman-holding-a-home-for-sale-sign-8469937/

https://www.pexels.com/photo/concentrated-woman-carrying-stack-of-cardboard-boxes-for-relocation-3791617/

https://www.pexels.com/photo/set-of-instruments-on-floor-4792494/

https://www.pexels.com/photo/women-in-orange-uniform-cleaning-the-floor-6195277/

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