How to Get Your Home Ready to Sell

It takes a lot more than taking a few pictures and posting a sign in the front yard to sell a home in Maryland. The more you know about the steps that go into a successful sale, the sooner you can sell your Maryland home and move on down the road. At Tidewater Companies, there are 14 things we advise our clients do to get their home ready for market. 

1. Research the Market

You will want to do your homework so that you know as much as possible about comparable house prices, average listing times, desired features, etc. This helps you settle on a listing price and develop a marketing plan for your home based on prevailing market trends and conditions. 

2. Choose the Right Realtor

You want a realtor who has the experience and a proven track record with listing homes comparable to your own. Make sure the realtor has a solid network and the ability to deploy a wide range of marketing tools successfully. 

3. Give Your House a Hospital Clean

Scrub the floors, clean the walls, dust the shelves, and make sure the gutters, counters, windows, and other surfaces are squeaky clean. You want your home as clean as possible for any picture shoots and showings. Remember, you want to neutralize the source of any odors, not merely mask over them. 

4. Ditch the Doodads, Clear Out the Clutter

If you don’t use it, you don’t need it. Get rid of clutter in your rooms, closets, and garage. If you can sell it, have a garage sale. If it is trash, toss it. If it is still useful, donate it and take the tax break. You should also invest in a storage unit where you can put excess furniture, collectibles, etc. until you are ready to move. 

5. Illuminate Your Home

Busted lights are an immediate turn-off for buyers. Invest in new light bulbs with the right wattage to properly illuminate the bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, etc. If your light fixtures are significantly out of date, you should also speak with your real estate agent and decide whether you should replace these or offer a credit to the buyer to replace them with fixtures of their choice. 

6. Fix Obvious Damage

Take care of squeaky doors and busted locks. Make sure that drippy faucets, torn screens, and other damaged elements are repaired or replaced. Pay particular attention to weatherstripping and sealing any air leaks around windows/doors. 

7. Paint the Home

Neutral colors make it easier for prospective buyers to imagine their favorite colors on the wall. White, light gray, and beige are your best bets for appealing to a buyer’s tastes. 

8. Invest in Staging

Your real estate agent can help you find an expert to stage your home. Professional home stagers know how to accentuate your home’s architectural features and appeal to the tastes of buyers in the area.

9. Neutralize the Decor

It is strongly advisable to remove anything political, religious, or personal from your home. This means flags, banners, artwork, and other items that could turn away a prospective buyer. 

10. Trim the Landscaping

Make sure the lawn looks its best. Trim the grass, cut the shrubs back, prune the trees, etc. Remove any lawn decor and make sure the flowers and other bushes look their best.

11. Get Ready to Go Virtual

You won’t want a lot of people walking through your home these days, but you still want a lot of people to see your home. Thus, it’s advisable to hire a professional photographer to create a virtual tour of your home. This lets you maximize showings while minimizing foot traffic through the home. 

12. Check Your Insurance

Make sure your homeowner’s insurance policy is up to date. This helps protect you just in case a prospective buyer suffers an injury on the property and attempts to sue you for damages. 

13. Know the Condition of Your Home

It is never a bad idea to hire a home inspector to perform an inspection before you list your home. This will let you know the true condition of your roof, plumbing, foundation, etc. The more you know, the less chance a surprise can derail a sale. 

14. Be Ready to Move

Whether you are moving across town or across the country, you will want to start looking for your new home before you put your current home on the market. By having a few places picked out, you can move quickly when a buyer puts an offer on the table.

Tidewater Companies is Here to Help You Sell! Reach out to our team and we’ll put a plan together to help you sell your Maryland home quickly and efficiently!