Clean and Clutter 2 things that matter much!
The power of a good cleaning job, inside and out, can’t be over stressed when looking to increase the value of a home when selling. First, start on the outside of the house after thoroughly staging the yard. Pressure washing the walls and cleaning the windows on the exterior of the house is a good start and simple enough with a bit of time investment.
When looking to really increase a home’s selling price it makes sense to consider repainting, but it’s actually worth trying to clean the house first. Often just removing dirt is enough to brighten the home’s look and will free up time that can be allocated to other areas of the home prior to listing.
Inside the home, it’s wise to get into every corner and crevice to remove dust, grime or dirt. The places people will be most impressed by the work are the kitchen and bathrooms. The more “new” the house looks, especially in those rooms, the better the impression on buyers. Realizing that most buyers want to buy a house that has been taken care of an maintained, can mean a higher selling price.
Why all the hard work? Buyers like move-in condition and will pay more for it!
All the “little stuff” around their house, like collectibles, awards, photos and other personal family items should be put away. It makes it easier for home buyers to envision themselves in the house.
After that, extra pieces of furniture in each room should be removed. Less is more is the way to go when it comes to decluttering. Buyers want to see large rooms where they can visualize living there. The more stuff they have, the harder it is to visualize when the rooms are already filled corner to corner. when rooms feel larger, the home is more appealing to buyers.
Staging, certainly a buzz word these days, is often ignored or dismissed by agents as not all that important, most often because of time and cost. However, the fact is staging increases the value and appeal of a home and should be thought of as an absolute when preparing a home to be listed for sale.
Remember, the better the home looks overall, the better and photography or video of the home will look. That can lead to a faster sale and at a higher price, and isn’t that what it’s all about!