Getting Your House Ready to Sell: Home Interior

Spend as little money as possible when preparing your home for the market. Although buyers will be impressed by the extras, such as a new roof, they aren’t likely to give you extra money to pay for it. Save your money for home improvement projects for your new home. With that said, it does make a big difference to invest a little money in making minor home improvements prior to putting your house on the market. Minor touch-ups may range from putting new knobs on cabinets or painting some rooms. Following are a few tips for getting your house ready to sell:

Depersonalize Your Home

The first step in selling your home is to depersonalize it. This involves removing personal items, such as family photos, collectibles and souvenirs. Not only is this helpful with removing clutter but it creates anonymity. Your want to make your home “anonymous” so potential homebuyers will view it as their potential home.

Remove Clutter in Your House

Removing clutter is one of the hardest things for home sellers to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the house. Clear clutter off shelving and counter tops and remove clutter from garages, closets, basements and attics. Create as much open space as possible to create a clean and spacious feel. After an initial round of removing clutter, invite a friend over to point out any areas you still need to work on. Don’t take things personally – you’d need to pack these items up anyways for your move. Rent a storage unit for a few months to store your personal belongings, or leave them with a trusted friend.

Following are some tips for cleaning up the clutter room by room:

• Kitchen – First and foremost, remove everything from the counters. Absolutely everything. Move the small appliances, such as the toaster and the blender, to a cabinet. No room in the cabinets? Clear out any rarely used items from the cabinets and pack them in boxes. Move packed boxes to a storage unit. Keep in mind that potential homebuyers will open the cabinets so don’t simply move clutter from one area to another, get rid of it. Create as much empty space as possible in your cabinets and drawers so potential homebuyers feel there is adequate storage space for their items.
• Closets – Pack up or donate rarely used clothing and shoes. Place out-of-season clothing in boxes and move them into storage. Potential homebuyers don’t like to see closets crammed full of items.
• Furniture – Move furniture you can live without for a while into storage to create the illusion of space that homebuyers like to see.
• Storage Areas – Pack up the basement, garage, attic and shed. Homebuyers like to imagine what they would do with these areas. Remove anything that is not essential. Move the items into storage or have a garage sale.

Make Minor Home Improvements

Now is not the time to remodel but it is the time to make small home improvements. Following are some tips:

• Paint – Update outdated color schemes in the house by painting. White paint helps rooms appear bright and spacious. Painting makes a home look new and homebuyers will view the home as being in “move in” condition.
• Plumbing and Fixtures – Expect the potential homebuyers to flip light switches on, play with the faucets and open anything with a handle. Make sure all fixtures are clean and working properly. Fix any plumbing issues prior to showing the house. Updating outdated fixtures is an inexpensive way to give a home a more modern feel.
• Carpet – Unless your carpet looks worn or outdated, you can probably get by with not do anything except hiring a good carpet cleaner. If you need to replace the carpet, find something inexpensive in a neutral color. Remember that you are not fixing the house for yourself. Your goal is to create a good impression for potential homebuyers. Save your money for home improvements for your new home.
• Windows and Doors – Check windows to make sure they open and close easily. If not, spray some WD40. Replace any cracked or broken windowpanes and have the windows cleaned. Clean all doorknobs and make sure they turn easily.
• Odor Control – This is a good time for smokers to smoke outside of the house. For dog owners, try sprinkling carpet freshener on the carpet on a periodic basis and keep the pets outside as much as possible during the sale. For cat owners, remember to clean the kitty litter box on a frequent basis.

Clean, Clean, Clean

Give every room in the house a thorough cleaning. Consider hiring a professional cleaning service to clean the home every other week or so until the house sells.

NOTE: Information compiled from a variety of proprietary and published sources, such as Realtor.com and CNNMoney.com.