7 Home Prep Tips to Sell Your House Fast

Are you listing your home for sale? Then you will love these simple home prep tips to help you sell your house quickly! The best part is that they are all tasks you can do yourself, and they are also friendly on the wallet!

There are many moving parts when selling a home. If you’re selling a home in Winter Garden, Florida, the Erica Diaz Team would love to partner with you to help sell your house faster. While we take care of the aspects of selling a house that real estate agents know best, you can tackle these seven home prep tips that will play a huge part in helping you sell your house faster!

Touching your house up so it is ready to be sold does not have to be a huge challenge! It might take a bit of time and little money, but at the end of the day, it will all pay off when closing day comes.

Do These Pro Tips to Sell Your Home Faster

1. Deodorize Your Home

We’ve listed this as number one for a reason! When potential buyers open the door to step inside a home, they are first greeted by your home’s smell. This may sound a little silly because, yes, they can see into the home once they open the door, but the first of their senses stimulated is their sense of smell. While you may enjoy the scent of your home, it may not be someone else’s cup of tea. Especially if any animals live inside the home. Many scents are not appealing to everyone.

A few quick and easy steps to deodorize a home are:

• Steam clean the carpets! This one task alone will make a huge difference. Carpets hold in everyday smells, and a deep cleaning will freshen them right up. There’s a bonus to cleaning the carpets too… They will also look fresh and inviting (the only thing worse than a stinky carpet is a gross-looking carpet!)
• Please open the windows and let the fresh air work its magic. A fresh breeze blowing throughout a home will help remove stagnant odors.
• Take it easy on the added scents! While lighting a candle in every room might be tempting, some people are sensitive or even allergic to air fresheners, candles, and room sprays. Not to mention, not everyone likes lavender, vanilla, rose, or whatever your go-to fragrance may be. Instead, diffuse essential oils with a natural, more mellow scent, like eucalyptus. Baking a quick batch of cookies in the kitchen is also an excellent way to make the house feel like a home. Be mindful, though, so you don’t accidentally burn them because that smell will linger for a while and is not appeasing.
• Deep clean bathrooms and the kitchen. Many yucky smells like to hang out in these areas of the home. Ensure all the nooks and crannies are cleaned to eliminate unpleasant smells.

 

2. Pressure Wash

We took you inside the home for number one, but now let’s head back outside. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but that principle does not apply to houses. Curb appeal is super important when selling a home. It’s a buyer’s first in-person impression of the home (they may have previously viewed it online.) A home can begin to look dingy after years of rain, mildew, mold, dirt, and mud making their mark. You might not even notice it’s happening since it occurs over time. However, a quick pressure wash will make things look good as new!

Some key areas to pressure wash are:

• Exterior Paint
• Gutters
• Driveway
• Sidewalks
• Fencing

3. Take Your Personality Out of the Home

This can be a tricky one. You love your home and everything you’ve done to it, but as you’re getting ready to part ways, it is a good idea to turn it into a more generic space. That doesn’t mean that you are removing all the uniqueness and personality; rather, you are creating a blank canvas and making it easy for potential buyers to picture themselves in the home.

Easy ways to depersonalize a home:

• Take down family photos because they remind buyers it’s someone else’s home and distract them from envisioning their photos on the wall.
• Do you have a family pet? While you may love them, potential home buyers typically prefer not to see all of their items around the house. So pick up their toys and even move their beds and crates (at least for showings).
• Remove sports memorabilia and other “favorite” items that are specific to your liking.
• If you have kids, art is probably displayed throughout your home, too. This should also be taken down.

4. Declutter

While this might seem similar to depersonalizing your home, it is slightly different. This time, we are touching on those pesky piles of paper stacked on the kitchen counter and stuffed animals in the corner of your child’s room. A good rule of thumb for decluttering is to remove everything that does not need to be on the counter, in bedrooms, and bathrooms. Removing the clutter from a room (including extra furniture) opens up the space, making it big, beautiful, and bright.

Think of this as pre-packing! It’s like getting a head start on your packing, and you’ll even be able to get rid of things that don’t need to move with you to your new place!

Decluttering tips:

• Go through each room of the house one at a time. Make a pile of things to get rid of (donate or sell) and a pile of things to keep (but pack them away). You can donate the things to get rid of the pile to a local charity, and those piles will quickly be gone for good. Then, for the things to keep pile, you can pack up boxes and put them in a storage unit.
• Shredder time! Papers tend to add up quickly, so now is the perfect time to go through all of those piles and shred the papers you no longer need. The ones you do need to hang on to add to a file box or somewhere else, just as long as they are off the kitchen counters.
• Take all the magnets off of the refrigerator.
• All surfaces must be clear of clutter, knickknacks, and non-essential objects. Countertops, vanities, desks, tables, nightstands, dressers, etc., should be clear.

5. Fresh Paint

A coat of fresh paint can do wonders for a home. Over time, walls, baseboards, doors, and frames become dingy. Luckily, it’s a fairly easy task and worth every penny. A quick touch-up can make a real difference in how your home is perceived. Clean walls show that the home was well taken care of! Not to mention, it will be one less thing the potential buyer would have to address after moving in.

Let’s touch a little on color, too. If you have a dark, loud, or playful color on the walls, it’s a good idea to pick a different color when painting to sell your home. We suggest going with a light, neutral color throughout the home. This color choice is typically a safe bet because it fits most people’s styles.

If you recently painted your home a neutral color, then a few quick touchups will do.

 

6. Tackle all the Little Maintenance Projects

Every homeowner has a running to-do list of maintenance tasks that need attention. While they may not be top priorities when living in the home, they should be focused on when it comes time to sell your house faster. Potential buyers often look for a move-in-ready home with the biggest bang for their buck! While it may not seem like a big deal if there is fresh caulking around the tub, it can make a difference for those viewing your home.

Some maintenance tasks we suggest are:

• Replace Lightbulbs—It may just be one little bulb in the kitchen, but it needs to be changed! When potential buyers are exploring a home, there’s nothing worse than flipping a light switch when a light is out. It instantly draws their attention away from the room. Plus, this is so super simple that you can have all burnt-out bulbs replaced in a snap of a finger.
• Fresh Strip of Caulking—This is another fairly simple and quick task that will greatly impact your home’s aesthetics. Nobody likes moldy bathrooms, especially when they are potentially going to use them. Go through each bathroom and replace the caulking around the sinks, in the tubs and showers. Then head to the kitchen and freshen it in there, too! You’ll be amazed how nice it makes things.
• Tighten Loose Things—Doorknobs and cabinets can become loose after being used repeatedly. Grab a screwdriver and travel throughout your home to tighten these things quickly. Don’t forget about the wobbly outdoor fan, too!

7. Clean, Clean & Clean to Sell Your House Faster

Make your way throughout your home and clean, clean, clean! A spick and span home is aesthetically pleasing to potential buyers. It makes the home feel fresh and healthy… CLEAN! We are not discussing a quick wipe-down but a thorough, deep clean. Ensure you get spots you might not typically include in your weekly cleaning session!

 

Add these to your cleaning list when trying to sell your house faster:

• Light Switches – These are one of those things that you rarely think about. Your hands seem to know where they are and precisely where to hit without ever looking at them. Buyers, however, will quickly notice if your light switches look… yucky.
• Ceiling Fans –  These pesky things tend to be massive dust traps. You’ll want to give them a good wipe-down.
• Baseboards – Dust collects on these, making them look dingy. Cleaning them is simple and makes them pop!
• Windows – While it may be adorable when kids and pets look out the window, they leave hand and nose prints all over the glass.
• Shower Doors—Another glass surface that might need a little love is your shower doors! Soapy water tends to cake on them, turning clear glass into a foggy mess. Clean shower doors are a must to make your bathrooms seem brand new!

 

Erica Diaz Team – 7 Home Prep Tips to Sell Your House Fast

While you can leave all the real estate aspects of selling a home up to the Erica Diaz Team, it’s important to focus your attention on these 7 home prep tips that will help you sell your house fast. Doing each of these before your home is photographed, has an open house, or has a regular showing will increase the likelihood of selling your house fast.

We would love to connect with you if you are considering selling your house in Winter Garden, Florida, or a surrounding area. Our mission is to sell your house fast and get you the most money.