TOP TEN // Ways to Get your Home Ready for Sale
It’s been awhile since I’ve written a more personal post so I’m not sure what’s more surprising - the fact that I actually blogged or the news I’m going to share but here goes...
My husband and I have recently decided we are moving to my grandma’s 1960’s bungalow farmhouse on an acreage south of the city - the house is small but it’s got a huge yard for our son + a garden plot I can’t wait to get my hands on - and are currently in the process of listing our home {contact Erin Fuchs with Royal LePage Formula 1 for more info}. While we’ve been getting our home ready for sale, I thought I’d share some tips I gleaned from our friend and Realtor, Erin, and a few of my own on how you can put your best foot forward when it comes to listing your home for sale.
Images below are from our own home, shot by Delina Langridge for Farmer’s Daughter Interiors.
10. LET THE LIGHT IN
Help your home feel bright, fresh, and airy by opening the blinds and setting window treatments such as drapery far enough on either side of the window so they are not blocking the natural light. If you have bulky or dated window treatments that are killing the natural light, consider removing or replacing them before you list to help your home look it’s best. If you have rooms that still feel dim, consider adding a floor or table lamp that you can leave on during showings. Also make sure to replace any burnt out lightbulbs, aiming to have them all a consistent ‘temperature’ or colour.
9. WASH THOSE WINDOWS
Along with #10, clean windows inside and out just feel fresh to potential home-buyers. Washing windows is a task that’s quick and easy, doesn’t cost anything + can make a surprising difference in how your home feels during a walk-through… so why not?
8. CRANK UP THE CURB APPEAL
Stand back and survey your home’s exterior… what can you do to help it look its best? Some starting ideas are to clear the cobwebs from your soffits, give your exterior lights a wash, wipe down handrails, add a new doormat, clean your front door or better yet, give it a fresh coat of paint! Depending on the time of year, you can add a simple planter of fresh or faux greenery to your front steps or garage pad. If you have the room, place a small bistro table and two chairs or a comfortable pair of outdoor chairs on your front step or deck.
7. KEEP PET SUPplies at bay
Although your furry companion may be a member of your family, keep in mind that not everyone feels the same about pets in the house. When getting ready to sell your home, organize your pet’s daily living space and put food and other supplies behind closed doors if possible. Keep on top of changing litter boxes and kennel pads and place an air freshener or diffuser in the room to mask odours. Stay on top of managing pet hair - potential home buyers don’t want to walk through your home and have pet hair stuck to their clothes - it gives the impression that your home is not clean. And please, keep pets out of the frame when you’re taking listing photos.
6. clear the clutter
Consider starting in your home’s main common areas and tackling any noticeable clutter - things like paper, stacks of mail, shoes that pile up, kids’ toys or anything in your home that doesn’t have a proper place - by sorting through and getting rid of anything that doesn’t need to be there. Use baskets, trays, or bins to corral anything that needs to be left accessible while your home is listed. Clear your kitchen’s counters as much as possible and put everything except for items absolutely necessary behind closed doors so your kitchen feels clean + spacious.
5. free up your furniture
Think through your furniture layout and don’t be afraid to move things around so your rooms feel as large + open as possible. You can do this by placing the longest piece of furniture along the longest wall (even if it’s in front of a window in some cases) and removing furniture pieces that feel over scale for the room and are taking up too much floorspace. Aim for at least 36” of walking space between all furniture.
4. STAGE FOR SUCCESS
Now’s the time to freshen up your whole home and break out your favourite styling accessories. Simple houseplants you can readily find at your local florist or grocer really help to add life and vibrancy to at home so consider adding a couple into your decor while you’re showing your home. If you’re particularly short on space (or short on accessories), use functional everyday items like recipe books, ceramic bowls and kitchenware and baskets, and group them in a creative way that feels styled. While it’s okay to let your personality shine through in your decor, make sure that a potential buyer can still envision themselves in your home.
3. SHED THE EXTRA STUFF
Since you’ll be packing up your entire home anyway, consider going through closets, kitchen cabinets and bathroom storage areas to sort through items you can give away, sell, or donate. You can even pack up anything you can do without for a couple months such as out of season clothes, outgrown kid’s clothes or seldom used kitchenware. There’s a good chance most potential home buyers are looking for some extra storage so having closets + cabinets that are have some free space and are organized well can give the illusion of extra space.
2. Check it over
Now that you’ve tackled some basic cleaning and organizing, take a walk through your home and see if there are any minor projects you can finish up. Do you have a room that needs a fresh coat of paint? Lighting that needs to be replaced? A leaky faucet? Minor repairs to be made around the house? Now’s the time to put in that extra effort - although it may not change your list price, potential home buyers will notice the care you’ve put into your home and appreciate that those minor repairs that been done in advance.
INVEST IN HIGH QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHY
Invest in professional photography if you can. It’s something certainly not every competing listing will have done and can really help set your home apart in the market. If you or your Realtor are planning to take your own photos, help your home look it’s best by considering the time of day and the light in your home. Aim to show your house in it’s best light (literally!) and try to create a bright, fresh feel with the photography by giving your home a quick clean, opening up the drapery and capturing as much of the room in the photo as possible. Aim to capture an equal amount of floor and ceiling in the photo. One last tip: I find that positioning the camera at chest level instead of eye level shows interior photography really nicely.
We are incredibly lucky to have a photographer by trade on our staff at Farmer’s Daughter Interiors and had loads of fun shooting some updated photos of our home with Delina Langridge.
You may remember me sharing a bit of background on our home in a previous post… this was our first home together - my husband and I completely renovated this home while we were just dating - and we’ve put so much time, energy, and love into this house. We’ve celebrated many milestones in this home and it’s been our safe haven through some tough times. We brought our first baby home to this house and we’ve made many memories as a family here. While I’m excited to see what the next chapter looks like for our little family, the thought of leaving is a little bittersweet. Saying that, I just know that the right buyer will be able to enjoy it as much as we have, make it their own, and create their own next wave of memories in this home.
- Kelsey xx
By the way: many of the styling accessories in our home can be found at our brick-and-mortar and online shop, Farmer’s Daughter Homestead.
Instagram: @farmersdaughterhomestead
Listing Information:
Contact Erin Fuchs with Royal LePage Formula 1 for more info.