Read This Checklist Before Listing Your Home In The Poway Real Estate Market
While you may think your home is perfect the way it is (or you don’t, and that’s why you’re selling it), it may not be in optimal condition for selling. Once you find the perfect real estate agent to list your home, the next thing you should do as the owner is make sure it’s ready to sell. For most, this requires a lot of work and decluttering—but for many it will also involve replacing furniture that doesn’t accentuate the features that the home has to offer. Even if you’ve already channeled your inner Marie Kondo and purged your home of all of its clutter, there are more things you can do to make sure your home sells quickly and at a good price in the competitive Poway real estate market.
Simplify What’s There
You’re moving anyway, so why not start early? Decluttering your home can make it seem bigger because it will appear that the home has sufficient storage. Odds are the clutter that you think you can’t live without is just holding you back from feeling as if your home is clean. The first thing to tackle in decluttering is the closets, getting rid of anything you don’t enjoy anymore. Next, tackle the junk drawers, bookcases and other junk magnets around the house. Don’t just shove things into closets and cabinets either, because most prospective buyers will look in there to see what kind of storage the home has. Once everything is de-cluttered your home will feel fresher, cleaner and more relaxing. It will also better prepare you for moving and assure that you don’t move the clutter from one home to the next.
Squeaky Clean
It probably goes without saying that your home should be as clean as possible when it shows to a potential buyer. For many this means more than just a casual clean, but a deep clean that will get rid of every last bit of dirt and dust around the house. Portraying your home in its best light will make it more appealing to potential buyers and nothing will help more than making sure it’s as clean as it can be. It’s important to make sure to clean both sides of windows and in the corners and window sills as well. Pay extra attention in bathrooms too, because this is where mold tends to appear if there isn’t proper ventilation. Buyers also love to see that bathrooms and kitchens are spotless during the initial showing.
Smell is often a big factor in a buyers initial impression of a home. Make sure your home smells good as soon as you walk through the door, or simply pop some cookies into the oven a few minutes before the showing to make sure the home smells warm and inviting.
Remember Curb Appeal
The first thing a potential buyer is going to see in the Poway real estate market is the outside of your home. You want to draw attention to all of the good features that your home’s exterior has to offer and try your best to distract from anything that may be unsightly about it. This would be a good time to make any repairs to the exterior, restain the wood on the porch, plant some flowers, and make sure that the front lawn is healthy and lush. Trust us when we say that a bad exterior can detract buyers that would otherwise love your home. In the world of real estate, first impressions are one of the biggest reasons a home does or does not sell. This would also be a good time to make sure any small projects involving the exterior of your home are checked off. If there’s any issue that would potentially impact the sale once the inspection is done, it’s a good idea to get it done beforehand.
Final Touches
Once you’ve finished any small projects around the house and decluttered into oblivion it’s time to think about how you want your home to be presented to potential buyers. Showings are a good time to make sure any valuable items—such as jewelry, art, or technology is well hidden and out of reach. Not that you shouldn’t trust potential buyers, but you never know who could be coming into your home to simply check things out.
Finally, it may be a good idea to look into furniture staging companies to come up with a furniture design that will make your home look inviting and comfortable. There are many companies that will rent furniture for a short period that are specifically made for homes that are on the real estate market. The Poway real estate market is competitive, and standing out from the rest of the homes that are for sale will be a key factor in selling quickly and at a good price.
