You know that you are going to sell your home.  It’s just not time to put it on the market…yet.  Lots of people find themselves in this situation. You may already have a Realtor®, but are not planning to put the house on the market for a few months.  While it may be too soon to box up your clothing and furniture, it’s not too soon to do a few other things that will help get your home ready for buyers. Here are seven things to do before you put your home on the market.

Find and Fix Items that Need Repairs

All houses have small things that could be repaired that we just live with while at home. Our Locust Grove home had a loose cabinet door that we never seemed to get around to repairing. A squeaky door, a loose door knob, or slow draining sink are all items on our list that after a day of work we just don’t get to repair.  In the months leading up to selling your home, now is the time to make those fixes.  Buyers will appreciate the well maintained house and some of these items could show up on a home inspection report, so it’s simpler to fix them now.

Declutter

Do you really want to take everything in your house in Locust Grove to your next home?  Probably not.  Use the time before your home goes on the market to go through your belongings to decide what stays, gets donated, and trashed.  You can even pack up the things that you know you will not be using.  It’s okay to have some boxes in your home that are stacked neatly along a wall in the garage or basement, but you don’t want them all over the place.  Once you’ve cleared out closets and cabinets make sure to keep them clean.  Buyers will open doors to see the storage space in your home.

Deep Clean

Now that you have decluttered your home, you can give it a deep clean.  This means washing walls, using a carpet cleaner to get the carpets looking fresh, and making the bathrooms shine.  If you do this before your home is for sale, then prior to showings you will just need to give your house a quick refresh.

Paint

While deep cleaning and moving around furniture, you might notice that the walls are not in the best shape.  Scuffs and marks left from children and pets as well as scratches from moving furniture are noticeable.  If you see these things, then it may be worth putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls.

Put away the personal and valuable

Prior to selling your home, gather all your personal or valuable belongings that you don’t want to lose and tuck them away in a safe spot.  While Realtors® are always vigilant during showings and open houses, it only takes a second for another child to pick up your child’s favorite toy and take it home or for items left out in the open to disappear.  

Make a folder

Gather any manuals for your home’s operating systems and appliances and any information from recent repairs you’ve done and put the paperwork in a folder.  This way if a question arises about the age of the roof or how frequently the HVAC system has been maintained, you can easily answer the question.

Remember the Exterior

The first impression buyers will form about your home will be based on the exterior.  Take some time to clean up the lawn, add some flowers, and create a welcoming front door.  You may want to have the outside of your home powerwashed.

Doing these seven things before your put your Locust Grove home on the market will shorten your “to do” list when it comes time to list your home.