Ready to Make a Move?

The spring and summer months are the busiest home buying seasons of the year. It’s simple: Most people want to be able to sell their existing home and be settling in to a new one before fall. Plus, the weather is good — no trudging around in cold and wet weather. Are you ready to make a move? Here are a few things you’ll want to do before putting your home on the market:

Deep clean. A clean home is more appealing to buyers. And we’re not talking about giving your home a quick cleaning. You’ll want to give your home a deep clean. Scrub the floors, walls, windows and major appliances, like your stove. Home buyers do look in refrigerators, cabinets and closets, so you’ll want to clean those, too.

A fresh coat of paint can make your home’s interior look like new. Even if you decide not to paint, though, make sure your walls are clean. A Magic Eraser cleaning tool can help get rid of stubborn smudges and hand prints and can make your walls look much better. Fix any holes or damage to walls.

De-clutter As part of the cleaning process, you’ll want to organize and de-clutter. Renting a storage unit may be a great idea to get a lot of stuff off your property. If you have children, packing some of their belongings away now will help reduce the number of toys you have to clean up each time a prospective buyer comes through. Consider reducing the number of personal effects in your home, such as family portraits. A potential buyer wants to be able to visualize him or herself in your home and that can be hard to do with family portraits lining the hallway and living room. If you have deer antlers on the wall or an antique rifle over the fireplace, now’s the time to take them down.

Fix up the yard. Chances are, there are some leaves and other debris around from the fall and winter. Give the front door and outdoor entry a thorough cleaning. Consider planting flowers in any bare spots or putting a new pot of flowers or welcome mat by the front door. A springtime wreath on the front door may be a nice touch, too. Tidy up and make sure there’s nothing distracting or unpleasant that will catch the eye of a prospective home buyer the first time they visit.

You may wonder, “Why bother with all this prep work? Won’t someone buy my home anyway?” In any kind of real estate market, prepping your house before putting it on the market is a wise move. That’s because time and time again, it’s been proven that homes that are clean and organized sell faster – and for a higher price – than comparable properties that haven’t been cleaned and de-cluttered.

Are you ready to make a move? We’re here to help. Just visit our website to get started: https://www.1st-ratemortgage.com/