So you think you are are ready to sell your home and you’re worried about where to start… Good news, we have you covered! Take a look at the top 10 actions we recommend to our sellers before putting their home on the market:
1. Minimize the amount of stuff in your home - While some agents use the term “declutter,” we believe most houses arefilled with personal and beloved items, not clutter, which we love! However, in our experience in showing homes to buyers, we have found it’s best to minimize the amount of belongings found around the house to make the space look bigger and more presentable. This may include taking everything off of countertops and tables, storing away pieces of furniture, or moving things out of the way of windows to allow for light to shine in.
2. Depersonalize - Make the home look as neutral and impartial as possible. If that means taking down pictures of your family or putting away political and religious affiliated objects, we suggest you do it. We want every buyer to walk through the door and imagine themselves in the property. Not to mention when we have your home professionally photographed, all of those pictures will be on the internet for everyone to see.
3. Clean extensively - Everyone knows to vacuum the carpet and dust the shelves, but don’t forget to clean baseboards and in the corner of your ceilings where dust-balls collect. Also, make sure to clean all windows to allow as much light in as possible. Don’t think buyers will look in your oven? Wrong! Make sure that it is clean too. We got your back with this as well! Carr & Co has a professional cleaning company that does pre-photo cleaning AND move-out cleaning. You can also use your Compass Concierge money to pay for this and not have to worry about it until closing (Still curious about Compass Concierge? Wait for it, it’s coming!).
4. Organize - There is something very pleasing to the buyers’ eye when they see your basement storage area stacked with the same colored bins along one wall, cabinets with cans all facing the same way, or your closet with the same color shirts together. If you need to keep “stuff” in your home while you live there, make sure it’s in order, both in color and size.
5. Paint with neutral light colors - It is a good idea to paint your walls before listing your home, and it is an even better idea to choose the right color. Remember, it’s not the color you like, it's what the buyer likes. Everyone’s taste is different, so the more neutral the color, the better. Light color choices like white, light blue (kitchens and baths only), greige and light grey are autonomous colors that buyers should have no issues with.
6. Make your light bulbs BRIGHT and WHITE - Nothing hurts a room more than poor lighting. The more light, the bigger and nicer a room looks. We recommend changing all of the light bulbs in your house to match in color and wattage (60 watts or higher). This will totally illuminate your home in the best way possible.
7. Landscape the front lawn - Remember the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? That doesn’t apply in real estate as curb appeal is key to a buyer's emotions! The best way to make a great first impression with buyers is to have a beautiful looking front lawn. While every lawn is different, we recommend trimming trees, bushes and hedges, plotting plants and flowers to add color, and of course mowing and grooming your lawn. Also, if you have sidewalks, don’t forget about the area between the sidewalk and the street!
8. Take care of small repairs - Whether it’s filling small cracks, fixing a leaky faucet, or tightening cabinet 
9. Take advantage of Compass Concierge! - Are you overwhelmed by this list and think it’ll be too expensive to get everything done? Good news, Compass and Carr & Co have you covered! Compass Concierge offers you an interest-free loan to take care of all of the above items before your house goes on the market. You can use the loan for just about anything: floor repairs, HVAC, staging, landscaping, kitchen improvements, and much more. Then, once your home sells (most likely for more than it would have before Compass Concierge), you pay the loan back INTEREST FREE at closing, out of your seller's net. There is no other program like it!
10. Go to the market with a Carr & Co Realtor - Yes, shameless plug… But, it’s 100% true! Our team has the most knowledgeable and hard working professionals in the Greater Philadelphia area--including team members in the Poconos! If you want your house sold quickly and for the most money possible, just call us for a free consultation. Want to hear something even better? After your we tour your home, we will provide you with a personalized checklist of suggestions for what you can do to make your home ready to sell for the most money to you! Our job is to take the stress off of you and make the process as easy and straightforward as possible. We truly want to help.
