Checklist: Important Things You Need To Do Before Putting Your Home On The Market

If you are planning on selling your home, you should not simply put it on the market as soon as you have decided to sell. There are a number of different things you need to do first. So, let’s take a look…

Make Sure It’s Structurally Sound

There are plenty of key techniques and ideas that you can use to make sure your home is as saleable as possible once you put it on the market. And this means that you need to ensure you focus on the best ways of helping to improve your home and make it structurally sound. One of the best and most effective ways of achieving this is going to be to make sure you improve your roof. This means hiring a quality roofing service company to make sure your roof is as safe and secure as possible, and making repairs if needed as well.

Making sure your home is structurally sound is so important, and you need to try to make sure you carry out the right steps that can be used to help you achieve this. So, it is important to ensure that this is something you work on as much as possible, and checking the foundations and structural integrity of the property is also vital. This ensures that there are no underlying problems that might rear their ugly head when it comes to trying to push through the sale of your home.

Make low-cost curb appeal improvements

First impressions count! And, the first impression of your home will be made as soon as the buyers step out of their car, which is why your garden is so important! Impress them with these low-cost tips…

Wash the front porch light fixture or replace it if necessary.
Keep the garden lawn mowed. There is nothing worse than an unkempt garden!
Buy some large house numbers! There is no worse way to begin a viewing than by discovering your buyers have spent the last thirty minutes driving around the estate looking for your home.
Plant flowers by your front door or along the walk. This will create a welcoming atmosphere. Yellow flowers are a great option, such as marigolds.
Purchase a new welcome mat for the front steps to your home. The perfect way of welcoming people into your home!
Clean the exterior windows thoroughly. Grubby windows are never a good look!
Use the power spray to get rid of all the dirt and dust outside.
Re-paint your front door or replace it if necessary. The front door is an extremely important aspect of your home. It is one aspect every single person who comes to your property is assured to notice.

Get rid of family touches

Most homeowners have photographs of their family situated all over the home. It adds a personal element to your property and creates a warm environment. This is what makes a house your home – the keyword being YOUR home!

We all love to have reminders of the ones we care about and to display fun memories we have had together. But, when it comes to a home viewing, it’s time to put them away! Don’t take it personally – but the buyer doesn’t want to see pictures of your daughter getting married or your last family holiday to America. All this does is remind the buyer that the property is someone else’s.

By keeping your photographs out you merely distract viewers and you make it difficult for them to connect with your home. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine walking into a home you were thinking about buying and seeing photographs of another family at every turn. It would make it extremely difficult to imagine yourself living there.

The same goes for all other personal items – whether it is dance awards, football medals, school certificates, or anything like that! Model your home on a showroom. You wouldn’t see aspects like this whilst at a showroom, so they shouldn’t be on show whilst someone is viewing your home.

Freshen up your bathroom

Many people, especially those with young families, like to view a bathroom as a potential oasis of calm in an otherwise hectic household. To others, it’s a place where they expect high standards of hygiene and cleanliness. Replacing a bathroom is an expensive undertaking, and when marketing your property, showing what you have off to the best effect can make or break a sale.

What most people find inviting is a clean, bright room. The preference is always for a neutral colour scheme – no overwhelming, bright shades here! – and a white bathroom suite. But if replacing the large fixtures and fittings is beyond your budget, a few small changes can cast the most important room in the house in the best possible light.

Use bleach to clean up grotty looking tiles and grout. A mildew remover may also help to remove the worst of the stains. If necessary, re-seal the bath with white sealant. Do the same with the sink and shower area. Invest a small amount of money in replacing cracked tiles. Consider buying a fresh, new shower curtain or screen.

Remove half-empty shower gel and shampoo bottles and, for the duration of viewings at least, replace with quality bath products. Add white, fluffy towels for a final, homely touch.

Clean your home from top to bottom

Picture this… You welcome viewers into your home, they start looking around, and then you realise that you have left a dirty ashtray on the living room table! How did you miss it? We are all guilty of missing the obvious when tidying our home! Use this cleaning checklist to make sure you don’t…

Make sure your clean your appliances inside out.
Clean your windows and windowsills.
Polish all interior woodwork.
Clean the inside of all of your cabinets and neatly organise everything that is inside. Make sure they aren’t too cramped; you want to show off how much space the buyer will benefit from.
Mop and sweep all of your floors.
Make sure you clean the entry thoroughly – this is the first thing buyers will notice when they walk into your home.
Clean all of your blinds, drapes, and curtains.
Git rid of all odours – especially food and pet smells.
Shower curtains and doors should be clean.
Keep your corridors and stairways clear.
Make sure everything is organised – your bookshelves, closets, wardrobes, entertainment units etc.
Empty ashtrays, rubbish bins, and recycling bins.
Remove all clutter – store in your car if necessary.
Be sure that all of your drawers, cabinets, and doors can be opened fully without any blockage.

Check The Roof

If someone wants to come and view your home, it goes well and then they request a survey, you have got to make sure that there is nothing bad for them to find. Often, people think that they can get away with not sorting out their roof because it’s generally something you can’t see from the ground. You need to hire professionals and make sure things like ice dam removals are sorted, any leaks are patched up and whatever other problem there is up there is taken care of. If you don’t, then you could lose a sale.

Find a good estate agent

Finding a good estate agent is obviously an important ingredient in selling your home! You should never just go for the first one you lay your eyes on, nor you should ever go for the cheapest agent! – Recipe for disaster.

You need to compare different estate agents against one and other in order to find the best one for you. But, what sort of things should you be looking for? Here is a checklist of things you should take into account…

Can you contact them via mobile phone and email?
How far away is their office from your home?
Will they provide you with a detailed marketing plan? What ideas have they got for advertising your home?
Do they seem enthusiastic about selling your home?
What is their track record? How many homes did they sell in the past year? Have they sold properties similar to yours?
Are they available on evenings and weekends?
Can they provide you with some references and/or reviews?

You have probably realised that one key factor is missing – how much they charge! So many homeowners make the mistake of looking for the cheapest agent. This is not an area to cut costs. If an agent charges more, it’s usually because they are worth it.

Some final home improvement tips to follow before you sell your home

Replace light bulbs – Bright rooms look inviting and fresh. Dark rooms look dingy, depressing and cramped. Just remember, safety first!
Fresh paint – Paint is the easiest way to make a huge difference to your property. Neutral colours are best!
Clean windows – Windows are often forgotten about, yet grubby glass is never attractive.
Deal with anything that needs to be repaired – Whether your kitchen light needs repaired or your require water pump repairs, deal with it before your property goes onto the market!
Clean your closets – Buyers often want to see how much storage space they are going to benefit from.
Play music – Soft music can be a great tactic to use when showing someone your home. Note the word ‘soft’ – no heavy metal, please!
Remove pet bowls – Not only are they distracting, but a buyer might not want to be reminded that you have pets running around the home every day.
Fresh glass and plants – Often a garden can be the first thing people notice. Make a good impression by creating a space that looks beautiful and inviting.
Clean the carpet – Nothing looks worse than a mucky carpet. If yours is beyond saving, consider getting rid of it and showcasing your hardwood floor.
Open curtains and blinds – Let as much natural light in as possible! It will open up the space.
Fresh flowers – Buy some fresh flowers and place them around the home. They create a welcoming feel.

So there you have it: the complete checklist of everything you need to do before selling your home. Good luck!

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.