Pending home sales are down for the third month in a row this year simply due to lack of inventory. This is especially true if you’re looking to purchase homes for sale in Waltham MA. Not one of the regions in the United States saw an increase in sales over the month of May (NAR), which means that now is an ideal time for homeowners to list their homes for sale. Buyers are on the lookout and available affordable homes are are just simply hard to come by.
If you are considering listing your home, or are preparing to list your home for sale, we have compiled a list of easy things to do to increase the value perception and help sell your home quickly. Alongside our expansive network of local realtors and their suggestions, we cross referenced HGTV and Forbes just to make sure we are giving you the top tips in the nation. Here are some simple things that can make your home more attractive to prospective buyers.
Half Empty Closets
Closet space is majorly important for most people, so take half of your clothes out of your closet. Make the space look bigger than it is with gaps. You can even fake an organization system with DIY shelves and bins at the last minute if you have no organization in place. This way you won’t spend a ton of money on something you aren’t going to use in a few months anyway. You might even try organizing your clothes by color for added effect.
Make All Spaces Look Bigger
Speaking of making spaces look bigger, try to make them all look bigger. Floor length curtains will give the impression that your ceilings are higher. Add oversized mirrors in small rooms to open up the room visually. Mirrors reflect light, which helps to brighten a space. Not to mention the reflection of the room makes it look like the room is much bigger. Finally, remove clutter and keep it out of sight. Nothing makes a space look small faster than clutter.
Brighten and Lighten
Make sure your home is bright enough to be inviting but not so bright that it scares your prospective buyers away. Open curtains, clean the windows, replace dull or awkwardly colored light bulbs. Forbes cautions against lights that are too bright, saying, “Swap out your bright white light bulbs for a soft and flattering wattage that invokes a cozy, yet welcoming feel and hides any tiny imperfections. Opt for bulbs that emit yellow-toned and red-toned hues.” You want a soft natural-looking light to make your home look its best.
Fix-it But Don’t Over Upgrade
Pay attention to all the minute details. Switch out grimy, discolor and cracked electrical cover plates, polish handles, use a Magic Eraser on your walls, and touch up the paint. Paint the trim to brighten it up and give your home a fresher, crisp look. Even if your trim is already painted, chances are it has gathered some dust and lost its luster. Find every small thing you can easily fix or make look better without breaking the bank.
Go From Home to House
Let your prospective buyer envision themselves turning your house into a home, rather than moving into your home. Remove personal items and make the space as neutral as possible. It is easier for a buyer to see themselves living in a place if they can imagine where they would put their own personal items. This is harder to do if yours are already there.
Sell Your Kitchen, Not Your House
The kitchen is usually what makes or breaks a deal in the real estate market. Something as simple as replacing your dingy counter tops can increase the value of your home by about $10,000. It all depends on how your kitchen looks and what in it would need to be, or can be, upgraded to increase its value without spending too much money. However, this is where most sellers spend the majority of their home preparation budget because is where you get the most return on what you spend.
Decorate Your Laundry Area
Make doing laundry in your house look appealing by adding some kind of decor to your laundry area. It can be as simple as adding a cute DIY sign that you discovered on Pinterest. No one likes laundry, but a laundry space is important for a prospective buyer.
Don’t Forget the Garage
Make sure your garage is clean and also looks appealing! Just like the laundry room, add superfluous decor to your garage if necessary. Get rid of clutter. Rent a storage unit if you need to in order to clear some space. Garage and storage space are key to buyers; so the bigger it looks, the better. The less clutter you have, the larger your space will look.
Always Show Ready
While your house is on the market, it should always be ready to be shown. You never want to get the call that someone wants to look at your property right now while you’re busy and your house is a mess! If you say no, the prospects may never return. If you say yes… they may never return!
Prepare Your Private Areas
When those buyers are in your house, of course they are going to look in every nook and cranny. Tidy up your medicine cabinets, bathroom storage areas and essentially anywhere in your home you have anything that is disorganized. Make your home so organized that Martha Stewart wants to hire you to do hers.
Take Some Tips From Feng Shui
Feng Shui has some principles that actually help to make your home more appealing in general. Research Feng Shui and move your furniture around where you can to accommodate this style. Some of the changes might include making sure your furniture never has its back facing an entryway and keeping the toilet lid closed. Feng Shui may also help you open up spaces making them look bigger.
First Impressions Matter Curb appeal
HGTV made curb appeal a popular term, and for good reason. The curb is the first place a prospective buyer sees your home from. If they aren’t at least somewhat attracted to it, chances are they will not end up having as positive of an opinion of things in side as they would have if they had liked the outside to begin with. It is just as if you met someone for the first time and they were rude that once, but sweet as cake every other time afterwards. It takes a lot to change a negative first impression.
Draw Them In With Scents
Fill your house with attractive scents that fit each space. Use vanilla and lavender in the bathroom and bake cookies in the kitchen. Essential oil diffusers are a great way to infuse scents into your home that will match each room.
Hire a Good Agent
First and foremost, always hire a good agent. Your agent should know the area well and work closely with you on ensuring that your home is listed for the right price and marketed properly. Waltham Pads can help you find an agent right now straight from our Sellers’ page. Fill out the form there and an agent will contact you right away. Each will begin with a FREE Comparative Market Analysis and then help you every step of the way to selling your home.
