There might be snow on the ground and a wind chill outside right now, but winter will be over before you know it. With the change in weather spring, one of the busiest times of year when it comes to real estate. If you are planning on selling your home, there are some things you should invest in to help ensure that your home is in ideal condition and able to attract buyers for the right price.
1. An Inspection
This is something of a catch-all. A home inspector will survey your home and see what issues there might be with the house that you haven’t noticed. This could include faulty wiring, pests and leaky faucets. Remember: as inspectors, they won’t be able to fix all these problems themselves, but they will be able to find them in hopefully enough time for you to remedy them before you sell.
Expected Cost: Between $315 and $400.
2. Professional Cleaning Service
You might think you keep your house clean, but trust us—there’s a difference between the cleanliness standard needed for living in a house and selling that house. Even if you always scrub the shower, sweep the living room on a consistent basis, and never leave a single dirty dish or saucepan out, living in a house tends to make it look, well… used. It’s not negligence; it’s just the way things work.
That’s why it’s often a good idea to contact a professional maid service to clean up your house, particularly when your home is up on the market. Note that your house should most certainly not be in a state of disarray before the cleaners come. Instead, you should clean up as best as you can and let them handle the finishing touches so that your house can go from looking great to looking perfect. Also, schedule the appointment as close to when you list the home as possible. Otherwise, you risk the house getting dirty again and you’ll need to schedule another appointment.
Expected Cost: Between $25 and $35 per hour.
3. Yard Care
Curb appeal is something that cannot be taken for granted when selling a home. You could have the most pristine, gorgeous manor on the inside, but if the yard is decayed and decrepit, buyers won’t even make it to the front door. That’s why you should invest in proper lawn maintenance. You’ll need to find people who can mow a lawn, trim hedges, pull weeds and more once the sun starts coming out.
Yard pest control is also an important thing to keep in mind. Moles leave unsightly holes, and hornets and other stinging insects can make entire sections of your yard impassable. Beyond that, while It might just seem like an outdoor problem at first, if mice, mosquitoes, termites and more aren’t taken care of, they can migrate inside, spelling disaster for the value of your home. Find professional, trusted exterminators who can take care of any potential pest problems, and you’ll save yourself a lot of stress.
Expected Cost: Between $35 and $50 per visit
4. New Paint Job
Paint is meant to provide color and liveliness to a house, which will make it more enticing for potential buyers; however, it can backfire. For instance, paint that has faded or chipped away is not very enticing. Whether it’s on the outside of your home, inside, or both, get the paint touched up if it needs it. Meanwhile, while you may enjoy having a home painted a bold color that stands out, potential buyers might consider it an eyesore and walk away. To attract more buyers, get your walls repainted in a more neutral, widely appealing color.
Expected Cost: Between $1,700 and $3,600.
We hope you follow this advice as you prepare to sell your house. Though selling your home might seem arduous and stressful, it can be made much easier by tackling these issues as soon as possible. Not only will your new home buyers appreciate the effort you took to make their new residence as livable as possible; there’s a good chance that you will be able to sell it for a higher price.
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