Moving Out
Spring is here and Summer is on its way! These seasons are considered to be the best time to sell your house! In this market, we know selling your house sounds like a lot of fun, but it’s important to remember all the planning that is involved. Selling the house is not as easy as selling shoes on Facebook Marketplace. You need the real estate agent and the negotiations that inevitably ensue. BUT, there are a few more chores that come with it...
PACKING (KIND OF)
When you “kind of” pack your things, it’s common to take inventory of what you really want to pack and haul and what can be sent away. There really is no better time! However, there is something to remember, you can only pack up what you don’t need to for staging. If you need to know more about that first, skip down to the Staging section below!
For most, the get rid of pile increases in a way that feels — and may actually be — exponential! Broken Christmas decorations, damaged furniture, and well-worn clothes often make the list and can’t be taken to a resale store. They don’t fit in your garbage and do you really want to spend the time and money hauling them to the dump?
It’s safer, faster, and sometimes more affordable to purchase a roll-off dumpster. These dumpsters keep your space safe, clean — no bags everywhere or garbage in your car — may save you some money (dump fees can be expensive), and there’s no need to break down garbage (like furniture) since it all fits!
Check out Daily Dumpster for affordable dumpsters!
CLEANING
When it comes time to clean, you want to make sure that your home appeals to a large audience. It’s important to ask some honest questions about the state of your home.
- Do or did you have any pets in the house?
- Did anyone smoke in the house?
- Do the walls look fresh?
- Do your cleaning supplies smell potent?
Although owners get used to it, pets often make their presence known. They often will leave shedded fur, an odor, or BOTH! When living in the midst of it, it can be hard to tell but a buyer doesn't live there and has their senses ready for anything wrong.
If your pet sheds, vigilant vacuuming may be required. If your pet has a habit of getting into not-so-glamorous things outside, maybe you need to keep them on a shorter leash for now. Worse comes to worst, having your pets living elsewhere leading up to viewings may be necessary.
Speaking of smells, nonsmokers can smell the smallest trace of smoke in a house. Though smokers can smell it too, the smell is far more offensive to nonsmokers.
What are some ways to get the smell off?
- Stop smoking inside. It sounds obvious, but it’s futile to fight a problem while you add to it.
- Consider some odor eliminating options. For example, there are products that allegedly remove the smell.
- Clean all surfaces. Remember that smoke can stick to just about anything. This means you may want to try using a vinegar solution to clean walls, furniture, air ducts, fixtures, and more. And, don’t forget to shampoo carpets!
- Don’t add too much odor. Adding tons of air freshener doesn’t get rid of a scent. It attempts to overpower it. Regularly adding odors to the house makes it a cocktail of smells; it doesn’t make it smell clean.
For more about how to get rid of cigarette smell in homes, check out this article!
Speaking of walls
How do yours look? It’s such a small thing that makes a huge difference! Do they look dirty, scuffed, and chipped? Or do they look clean and fresh? You’d be amazed at how many houses go up for sale then get taken off the market to be repainted. Once that’s done, it looks like a different house — and gets sold!
If you want your house to look its best, make an impression on viewers, and get sold, make sure your walls look great!
Cleaning supplies
This one may be a little less obvious. The cleaning supplies you use may seem like a small thing, but they can have large effects on buyers. Whether it’s allergies or just not liking a strong or chemically smell that may be given off, it’s important to know that cleaning supplies can turn people off.
What’s the answer? Try to avoid any smells that are overly chemical (like bleach) or too potent (like Basil).
STAGING
When staging your house, it’s important to remember that people don't want to know you live there. The principles of depersonalization and simplicity are key when it comes to this.
Take down family pictures (unless they already look like stock photos). Simplify your decorations, so it looks like a display at a store. Remove any signs of children or animals.
But what gets left over? The essential furniture (couch, coffee table, dining table, chairs, and anything you might see in a Hearth and Hand ad), tastefully placed picture frames, and minimal decorations.
These rules don’t just apply to the inside of the house. Curb appeal is massively important when it comes to what a buyer thinks of the home. It’s not uncommon for realtors to recommend that clients drive by a home before going to view the inside to see if it looks like something they would want. When a buyer drives by, be sure they want to see inside!
PRETENDING YOU DON’T LIVE THERE
In some ways, this is the hardest part. Everyone doesn’t have the luxury of living somewhere else when their house is up for sale — actually, most people don’t. Knowing that people may come by to see your house with very little notice means there’s a lot of pressure to keep your home staged.
It’s hard to keep all signs of children and pets out of the home when you have children and pets. Most buyers understand that not every viewing is going to be as pristine as an open house, but it’s important to put the best effort to ensure that anyone who walks in can see themselves living there instead of you.
If you have decided to sell your home and are starting to pack your things up, give Daily Dumpster a call!