Getting Your Raleigh Home Ready for Sale
Getting your Raleigh home ready for sale has a great impact on how fast and how well your home will sell. Before putting your house on the market, you should take as much time as necessary to maximize its exterior and interior appeal. The top rated Raleigh real estate agents at Spencer Properties can guide you.
How it Works
You’ll meet with our stager and she will create a list of recommended items to prepare your home for market. These can be things as little as decluttering and packing, using your own furniture to create an inviting to space or to larger tasks that require contractors–such as painting, flooring, countertops, appliances and more. Once we’ve determined the staging and updates needed, we will prioritize your list and get you in contact with our trusted contractors.
We understand that preparing your home for sale can be overwhelming at times, and we’re here to help take that pressure off of your shoulders. Whether you’re unsure of the right light bulbs for your kitchen or you need help deciding on a paint color for your living room–we’re here to guide you every step of the way. Maybe you need someone to meet contractors while you’re at work or you need to defer payment for the updates? We can help with that too.
Why Staging?
The more you put into your home, the more you get out of it. Staging your home is a way for you as the seller to present your home in the most appealing way to potential buyers in order to sell your home for top dollar. On average, home staging increases a home’s value by one to seven percent depending on how extensive the updates are. We only recommend updates that will get you two to three times the cost of doing the update; otherwise, it’s not worth the effort.
To schedule your staging appointment, or to learn more, get in touch with one of Raleigh Realtors.
How To Stage Your Home
Tips to Maximize Curb Appeal and Overall Value of Your Home
Give the exterior a good wash
Power washers (rental: $75 per day) can reveal the true beauty of your home. A bucket of soapy water and a soft-bristled brush can remove the dust and dirt that have splashed onto your wood, vinyl, brick, or metal accents.
Freshen up the paint job
Buyers will instantly notice, and appraisers will value it. While it is an expensive and time consuming undertaking, you can save money by using paint you already have. It’s a safe estimate to plan on spending at least $300 on paint, and upwards of $1,500 on labor.
Consider your roof
But don’t try to clean the roof yourself. Call a professional, who has the right tools and technique. A 2,000 sq. ft. roof will take a day and $400 – $600 to clean professionally. That’s quite appealing, considering the average cost of a new asphalt shingle roof is about $19,500, according to a 2015 report in “Remodeling” magazine.
Tidy up your yard
Green up your grass with lawn food and water. Cover bare spots with sod, and mow regularly. Pull weeds, trim bushes, and maybe even plant colorful annuals.
Maintenance is a must
These chores are great examples of how a little work goes a long way. Refasten sagging gutters. Replace cracked windows. Straighten shutters. Reseal cracked asphalt. Repoint bricks that have lost their mortar.
Tips on Maximizing Your Impact Inside the Home
- De-clutter and organize - Keep only the essentials, and put everything else in storage or give it away. Not only will your home feel cleaner and bigger, this process will save you time when you’re ready to move.
- Let in the light - Wash the windows inside and out. Dust blinds, wash curtains, and replace any bulbs that aren’t working.
- Apply fresh paint - Stick to neutral colors that will go with any furniture.
- Pay attention to those floors. Steam clean all carpets and deep clean the tile, marble, or wood floors.
- The front door - Paint, clean and shine every knob and surface to help make the grand entrance even grander.
- Deep clean the kitchen and bathrooms - There’s no such thing as a kitchen or bathroom that is too clean. Wipe down all the surfaces, knobs, mirrors, and even areas with grout or caulking. Make sure the caulk is doing its job, and if not, re-caulk those areas. Make sure no mold is present.
- Stage - Highlight your home’s strengths, downplay its weaknesses and appeal to the greatest possible pool of prospective buyers.
