Preparing your home for sale doesn’t have to mean hefty renovations or massive DIY undertakings. There are a lot of simple ways you can quickly spruce up your home without spending a lot of money.

Read on for our top 5 tips for upgrading your home prior to listing. 

1. Curb Appeal

Experts recommend depersonalizing your home before listing it. But many forget about the front yard. A general rule of thumb is if it isn’t a part of your permanent landscaping then take it down. That means any signs, garden ornaments (animals, gnomes, ceramic sculptures), flags, holiday lights, etc. should all be removed and stored away neatly. 

Consider pressure washing your roof to remove any moss or leaves. Buy a new, fresh, and generic welcome mat. Clean your mailbox with a sponge and warm, soapy water. And clean your front door as well as the hardware. 

Move your garbage and recycling bins to the garage or side of the house. Sweep all the concrete and asphalt areas in your front yard so that they are free of clutter. 

2. Let the Light In

Light makes spaces feel clean and large. So wherever you can, keep windows, curtains, blinds, and shades open to let in as much natural light as possible.

Be sure to give your windows a thorough clean prior to showings. Use vinegar to remove any hard water stains and regular window cleaner can remove other streaks or dirt. 

3. What’s That Smell?

As time goes by we all become accustomed to the smells in our homes. Sometimes we don’t even notice them. But your prospective buyers will. Consider having a friend or neighbor come into the home to identify if any strange or unappealing smells that might be present. 

You can clean carpets, launder fabrics, and clean surfaces to remove most unwanted smells. Many selling agents will recommend using subtle air fresheners to make the space feel more pleasant upon arrival. 

4. What to Tidy When You’re Preparing Your Home For Sale

If you have an unfinished basement or room in the home or an un-landscaped area of your yard, you may have heard that your best chance for selling is to finish before listing. But it isn’t true! 

As long as your home is priced appropriately you can easily sell without finishing those spaces. Here’s the trick. Clean and empty any unfinished areas before you list or show the property. 

If your unfinished basement is just a jumble of dusty boxes then organize all the boxes into one area, stack them up safely to reduce the amount of floor space they take up, and sweep and clean the floor.

If the area is outside, pull any weeds, remove any garbage or clutter, and tidy up the area as much as possible. 

5. Last-Minute Tips

Here are a few more things you might not think about before listing your home for sale. You can also use this home selling guide for more ideas. 

Clean and organize all the closets. Most prospective buyers are very interested in the amount of storage available in the property. So don’t just try to stuff your messes in the closets because they will see. 

Make sure to type your address into Apple and Google maps. Some addresses don’t correctly register in their systems and they may take visitors to the wrong location. Check beforehand and consider preparing some easy directions just in case. 

Now What?

Preparing your home for sale doesn’t have to take a long time or cost a lot of money. These simple tricks can help you increase curb appeal and find the perfect buyers. 

What will you do first to prepare your home for sale?