Preparing Your Home For Sale

Following a few simple tips will help ensure you get the most out of the sale of your home.

1. Declutter – Take some time to look closely at your home as if you were a buyer. Remove any items that are not 100% necessary. Take down refrigerator magnets and clean up the kitchen countertops. Remove the extra shampoo bottles in your show that you never use and remove everything you can from the counters in the bathrooms. Make the beds and maintain typical cleanliness and organization. Remove all family pictures. Less is more and this will easily allow you to maximize your value.
2. Clean – This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many home sellers don’t do this. Some people are just too busy. If that is you, hire someone. It’ll be worth your while and Homepie has a network of preferred vendors you can choose from if you need a recommendation.
3. Landscaping – Make sure you clean up your yard and keep the grass cut weekly. Rake any leaves, etc. It adds to your curb appeal which is invaluable to a buyer.
4. Paint – You don’t necessarily need to paint your entire home unless it really needs it, however, a little touch up paint can go a long way. A best practice is to try and walk your home as if you are a buyer. The first thing they see close up is the front door and door trim. If the paint is faded or peeling, sand it down and touch it up nicely.
5. Staging – This goes hand in hand with decluttering. Use the rule of threes; if you have multiple items on a shelf or counter, remove some items and leave three if they are nice decor. 
6. Photography – If there is one thing you can do to help get your home sold for the highest price in the shortest amount of time, hire a professional photographer. This is by far the most impactful thing you can do. Make sure you declutter and stage your furniture and belongings first, then keep your home that way so that when you have a showing, your home will not disappoint. If you have a large property, drone photography can be helpful to present the buyer with a bird’s eye view of your property. If you have a typical tract home, drone photography is probably not necessary. Virtual reality and 3D photos are becoming more mainstream, but as of this writing, there is no evidence that these will get you any more money.