Market Updates & All Things Real Estate!

Projects That Help Land a Good Offer
on Your Home—Fast!

We all want our homes to sell quickly once we make the decision to move, but sometimes, time is truly of the essence. Maybe your lifestyle is changing, you’re moving for work, or you’re finally building the home of your dreams. Regardless of your driving motivation, if the time is ripe, here are a few projects to help land a good offer and land it fast.

Pull Your Influence

Whenever you live someplace for any length of time, it’s natural to leave your personal mark on it. That personal mark, though, will remind buyers you belong there and they don’t, so put away decor and personal items throughout your house that make it feel like home. Your mementos from family getaways, collections, unique pieces of artwork—pull the personality out of your property so house hunters can picture themselves living there instead of you.

In the course of depersonalizing, For Sale By Owner recommends starting with the walls. This can be the time-consuming piece of the depersonalizing puzzle, but it’s a must. If you have unusual wallpaper, bright paint colors, or particular decor, it all needs to be swapped out for neutral options. Stick with quiet tans, whites, or greys on the walls, and think about the sort of wall art you see in hotels, such as abstract pieces and word art, like “relax” in a bathroom.

Get Uncluttered and Organized

Clutter will kill a home sale quicker than anything. Not only does it remind buyers you live there, but it also makes the house feel disorganized and small—as if there isn’t enough space for everything. You want buyers to feel like there is more than enough room for their items to fit, so you want it to be apparent you have room for your own household goods.

Do a room-by-room decluttering, pulling items you don’t need between now and your moving day. Since house hunters will be looking at storage to ensure their stuff fits there, too, be sure to stow your boxes offsite.

If you don’t have a friend or neighbor with space in their garage, you can always rent self-storage. Just bear in mind it’s not cheap in the Arcadia area, so shop around for deals. Case in point, Southern Self Storage at North Port is offering 10% off packing supplies and a free truck rental right now. You can get your belongings out of the way and snag a bargain for hauling them at the same time.

Spruce Up Your Entryway

Nothing says “welcome home” like an attractive entrance. Give your front door a fresh coat of paint, and replace any hardware that’s looking weary. Make sure the porch is uncluttered and freshly washed, and repaint it if necessary. Spruce up your light fixtures and doorbell as well, and add potted plants that flank the front door. Country Living recommends planting some blooming annuals around your porch and landscaping to add cheerful color in your curb appeal.

Similarly, if your mailbox is dented, worn, or difficult to read, spruce it up as well. If the post is rough, install a new one. Go the extra mile and add some blooming plants at the base, a little mulch, and replace those old house numbers.

Assemble Home-for-Sale Emergency Contacts

This emergency contacts list isn’t your standard one! It always seems that things break at the worst possible time. When it’s 2 a.m., your toilet is flooding, and you have a showing first thing in the morning, or you’re tidying up for tomorrow’s open house and your dog has multiple accidents, have some resources handy so you don’t panic.

Here are some suggestions:

• Handyman Services

• Plumbing Services

• Housekeeping Services

• Carpet Cleaning Services

   

  With a depersonalized, uncluttered home, you offer house hunters a clean slate to imagine as their own. Add an attractive entryway to welcome them in, and keep those emergency contacts handy. A great offer will be coming your way in no time!

Suzie Wilson

Happier Home

info@happierhome.net