Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Preparing Your Home for a House Viewing

Once your home is on the market, you will likely get some requests for a home viewing. While the home should be able to speak for itself in an ideal situation, many home buyers want to see and feel the home for themselves before they make the final decision.  This puts some pressure on you to ensure your home sells itself and that buyers can see the home’s appeal immediately when they walk through the door. Preparation matters in these situations, as the preparations you make will determine how presentable your home will be and how easily it will sell itself.

Start With the Curb

Many home buyers will drive past your home before deciding to come in. If they do not like what they see during their first drive-by, they will likely not return for a second look. To make the outside of your home as appealing as possible, mow the lawn, remove any weeds on the pathways or driveways, trim the hedges, and put away any items that might obstruct a view of the house like garden gnomes and recycling bins.

One area people do not think about and that certainly affects curb appeal, is the window sills. If your windows face the road and you have some items placed on the window sills, people will see them as they walk towards your house.

Declutter the House

Clutter makes your home look smaller, untidy, and disorganised. Clutter also makes it harder for people to envision how the house will look once they have their stuff in there. So, remove all clutter and clean the house as best as you can.

In trying to make the house look larger, open the curtains and let a little natural light in. This has the added advantage of showing off your windows and the views the new homeowner will have once they move in.

Do not forget to declutter the kid’s bedrooms too, because this is one area that is often forgotten.

Have the House Professionally Cleaned

Your house might be clean at first glance but looking a little harder could reveal a buildup of dust in that one area you do not reach often. To save yourself from embarrassment, it is always a good idea to hire a professional cleaning company to clean the home before the first viewers arrive.

If you are selling the home furnished, professional cleaners will clean the sofas, carpets, and anything else you might be selling as part of the house. If you do not know where to find the right cleaners, you can find some on LinkU, which is a platform that connects you with professional cleaners and other experts near you. LinkU connects businesses to customers and is an amazing platform for people who need simple and complicated tasks completed.

Take Care of the Kitchen and Bathrooms

Many buyers will judge a house on the state of its kitchen and bathrooms. In the kitchen, clean and polish all fittings, handles, surfaces, appliances, and cupboard fronts. If there are any missing fittings, get a contractor to fix them for you.

Also, clean all surfaces of debris and ensure the sink, draining area, and dishwasher are all clean and clear.

For the bathrooms, clean the toilet bowl, bathtub, and shower areas. Try to ensure there is no mould on any surfaces, and if your windows are cloudy, wipe them down using a clean piece of cloth. Ensure the bathroom is organised so that towels, toiletries, and other items look neat and tidy.

Garden

Many home buyers consider a garden an asset. Tidy up the garden by cutting the grass, removing any unnecessary items, and trimming the hedges. If the back fence needs a coat of paint, get a contractor to do it for you. To bring some life into your garden, add some potted plants and a seasonal fertiliser to make the grass look greener.

Prepare Your Pets

Not everyone loves pets, and if viewers see evidence of pets in the house, they may opt-out of buying the property. Removing cages, litter trays, and pet toys are all important steps to ensure you do not turn these people off.

While you may not be allergic to pets, there are lots of people who are. To ensure no one suffers an allergic reaction when viewing your home, try to get someone to watch your pet.  Also, try to see if there are any allergens in the house when cleaning it for viewing. A good vacuuming should get rid of hair, dander, and other allergens.

Fix Obvious Issues

People notice things like door squeaks and windows that do not close properly. If there are some issues you might have noticed in your house, it would be better to have them fixed because you can be assured that the people who view the house will likely notice these small things.

Preparing your home for a viewing is a very important step in the sales process. A little preparation ensures your home is in its best shape and condition before people visit, which increases the probability of getting people interested in the house.