What to do to get your home MARKET READY!

Feb 3, 2020 | Real Estate, Renovations

You’ve made the decision that you’re ready to sell your home–NOW WHAT? I get this question SO often from home sellers. WHAT TO DO next with their home, to get it “show ready”. In our crazy Denver real estate market, staging is more important than ever before. And when I say staging–I don’t mean designing, I truly mean staging your home so it appeals best to potential home buyers coming into your home.

Some people come to me several months in advance of wanting to sell their home, to see what, if any, projects they should be completing prior to selling. I think this strategy is BEST so you’re not rushed when getting your home ready to sell. Of course, this doesn’t happen all the time, because I still get the panic calls of “we’ve found our dream home, we need to sell our current home tomorrow!”. (Don’t worry, we’ll always make it work!)

I wrote a whole blog post on this kitchen transformation my sellers did before selling their home and the profit they made.

While I personally start to embark on the adventure of getting my home staged and ready to go active for sale on the MLS, my best tip, even to myself, has been to start early. We are giving ourselves about a month to pack up the “unnecessary” items, and de-clutter. We have some unfinished projects in our home we are finalizing. It’s hard for me because there are SO many projects we want to do and finish, but at this point, we’re doing “the best bang for our buck”. What will get us the highest return on our home, while not having to spend a ton of money? While decor goes a long way when staging and making your home “cute”, other important things to consider are actual improvements that will stay with your home (since in theory, you’re taking your decor with you). An appraiser will also take into consideration these projects, as well. Think built-ins, flooring, light fixtures, custom closets, accent walls (really!), outdoor areas, etc.

I had some sellers who sold their home last year. It’s an older home, in an older neighborhood, but they were smart and knew they needed to SPEND money, to MAKE money. While they already had a great list of what items needed to be done prior to listing their home, we prioritized the list so they could get the highest return for their money. The projects they needed to complete were’t easy, either. They re-did all outside landscaping by getting new mulch, trimming some trees, adding flowers in the front, painted the entire exterior of their home, re-finished their hardwood floors and finished painting some rooms were some of the top projects (they even replaced their existing stove to match the rest of the appliances-GREAT decision!). They ended up spending about $4,500 to get their home ready, but their home sold for $10,000 over asking price, in one weekend. Money well spent!

SO, what can you do? Some tips for getting your home ready:

  • DE-CLUTTERING (this is huge)
  • New paint and paint touch-ups
  • Updating light fixtures
  • Clean, clean, clean
  • Make repairs to your home that you know of, and can easily fix
  • Start packing early
  • Matching, updated appliances
  • De-personalize your space with pictures
  • Add fresh flowers
  • Curb appeal is HUGE! Clean up mulch, plant where necessary, update your mailbox

One of my favorite blogging couples, Chris Loves Julia, recently sold their {dreamy!} home in Idaho. Here’s their list of what to do before selling your home (while extensive, it sure paid off for them!).

Artwork is one of my favorite ways to add a punch to a home, without spending a ton of money. I recently found this hanging canvas for our main floor bathroom, for under $30! While I wanted to put up some shelves, this print is just perfect for the space.

So, are you convinced yet to start early when thinking of selling your home? Still have questions on what to do, how to do it, and when? Consider me your source for #allthingshome! I’m your girl when it comes to selling your Denver home. As a bonus when working with me, I provide a full staging consultation (at no extra cost–boom!) to you so you can best prepare your biggest investment. What other services do I provide? Here’s a full link on what you get when selling a home with me.

Looking for some other tips when it comes to selling your home?

Happy Home De-Cluttering!

XO, Lindsay

Welcome

Welcome to your one-stop-shop for all things home in Denver. Buying, Selling, Investing, Decorating, and Design. Let me, and my team help you.

Subscribe

you may also like

Related Posts

Reflection and Looking Ahead

Reflection and Looking Ahead

Ok, ok, no one needs any reminders of what 2020 was--but guys, we made it! We survived! (Barely, but hey, I'll take a win where I can get it!) It was one of my most challenging years for work, for many reasons. In March, I decided to switch brokerages. I was at my old...

read more
Life Lately // Two Months Living In Erie

Life Lately // Two Months Living In Erie

Life Lately. It's been two months since our move to Erie and I get asked all the time "is Erie as much fun as you make it on social media"....and the answer is YES! There were several reasons why we made the move to Erie (you can read more about that here), but one of...

read more
FAQ // New house + why we’re moving

FAQ // New house + why we’re moving

It's no news around these parts that we ARE MOVING! I'm pumped. And SO ready for our new house. I'm frequently asked the same questions regarding our new house and why we're moving, so I figured I'd do a little Q & A with y'all so you have all the deets about...

read more