Do’s & Dont’s of Preparing to Sell Your Home

If you’ve been considering selling your home, now is the perfect time, and if it hasn’t crossed your mind, maybe it should! Springtime is in full swing and the Denver housing market shows signs that NOW is the time to sell. As you prepare to list your property and search for your dream home, here are a few key “Do’s & Don’ts” of preparing to sell to keep in mind.

With our spectacular state offering various unique and breathtaking activities during all months of the year, we urge you to take advantage of the warming weather and embrace Colorado’s beauty. So, get outside, connect with nature and slake your thirst for adventure.

Do’s

Declutter Before Showing

• When you’re preparing for potential buyers to walk through your home, you want them to enter into a clean and inviting space. That is why it is essential to declutter and reorganize your home. Getting rid of unnecessary items that have piled up over time will make your rooms look bigger and more spacious, it will be easier for guests to walk around and it better displays the best features of your home. Real Homes stresses that forgetting this critical step may cause buyers to worry that the clutter covers spaces that would require repairs and renovations. So, take some time to go through each room and declutter so that you can show off that built-in shelving unit or beautiful granite countertops!

Consider Curb Appeal

• First impressions are everything, and when potential buyers arrive at your home, the first thing they see is the front of the house. Therefore, it could be worth it to spend some time and money updating your landscaping with some new shrubs and a freshly trimmed lawn or adding some eye-catching decor to the front porch.

Depersonalize the Living Spaces

• As people stroll through your home during a showing, they want to be able to picture themselves and their significant others or families living there. By removing some large family portraits, vibrant wallpaper and scattered personalized decor and replacing them with aesthetic and neutral decorations, you give the buyer more creative room to imagine what the space would look like if it were their own. Homelight offers a great list of specific aspects to depersonalize before you begin showings.
  
  

Don’ts

Wait Until the Spring to Sell

• While many homeowners put their houses on the market in the springtime, houses are constantly selling throughout the year! As we approach summer, don’t wait until next year to list your property. Choosing to start your selling journey NOW with ravenous buyers engaging in bidding wars can position you to earn a premium on your home sale.

Be Present At Showings

• There are a couple of reasons why it is always best to elect not to be present when a potential buyer is visiting your home for a showing, according to SFGATE. First of all, it can make the guests feel uncomfortable and hesitant to truly examine the space, such as peek into the cabinets and explore the closets. Secondly, it can appear more like desperation to sell as opposed to your excitement for new opportunities. Finally, agents are experts in what to say and how to present the home, and while you may know more than anyone as the current homeowner, you may reveal information that the agent doesn’t appreciate. To avoid any of these potential mishaps, make yourself scarce during showings.

Make Major Renovations

• While you may have a beautiful, updated vision for your home, Realtor.com notes that it is impossible to read the minds of your future buyers. This is why making major design renovations could be both a waste of money and a disadvantage for your likelihood to sell. Additionally, inexpensive or DIY renovations could make aspects of your home end up looking cheaper than before, which may be especially unappealing to buyers. When considering updating your home prior to putting it on the market, it is best to focus on maintenance repairs like plumbing, as opposed to updating the appearance.
  
  

Now that you have learned some of the major “Do’s and Don’ts” of preparing to sell your home, it may be time to consider exploring new options in a new place or a new house and putting your home on the market! Denver real estate is booming, so there is truly no time like the present!