Tips For Preparing Your Home For Sale

Living Room with green accent wall and furniture

When selling your home, decluttering is highly recommended to prepare your home for viewing.  Walking into a cluttered home immediately turns off potential buyers.  Often buyers can't see the potential when there is too much stuff blocking their sight lines. 

Home buyers want to see large spacious rooms; decluttering is the fastest and easiest way to create that feeling.  Renting an Edmonton storage unit can provide you with the space you need to declutter and effectively stage your home.

Get Your Home Ready For Sale by using Self Storage

At Elite Self Storage, we offer climate controlled storage units and unheated drive-up storage units for all your household storage needs.  Our Edmonton storage facility offers short-term storage rentals with no security deposits or administration fees.

Depersonalize

When staging your home, packing up your personal items before showing the property is important. Removing your personal items from your walls, shelves and surfaces of your home creates a blank canvas for the buyers and can aid them in seeing themselves in the space.  Make an effort to see the house through their eyes.

Pack up personal photographs, collections or taste specific items as these may not appeal to everyone.  Also, packing up these ahead of time will help you be ready for your move when your house sells.

Declutter

A cluttered home can give the illusion of less space and can imply that the seller has not taken care of other aspects of their home.  Overwhelming clutter also makes it hard for prospective buyers to see the true potential of the space.  It is not unusual to collect a significant amount of stuff over time. 

Pack up, donate or set  up a yard sale for everything you won't need in your new space.  In anticipation of the sale, also pack up any items you don't use on a regular basis, especially out of season items.

Pack away your knickknacks and remove your book, music and movie collections.  Make sure your kitchen and bathroom counters are cleared off and your personal items are out of sight.

Organize

People appreciate viewing the quality of a space.  Make sure all cupboards and closets are organized and clutter free.  Pack up your out of season linens and kitchen items that are only used for special occasions.

When a buyer sees everything is organized and clean, it says that you take pride in your home and take care of it.  This could mean alphabetizing spice jars, organizing a coffee station and neatly stacking dishes.  Clear off as much counter space as possible.  Organize your closets so they appear neat and spacious, line up shoes etc.  Pack up out of season boots, shoes or sandals.

Keep It Clean

When cleaning, spend most of your time on the kitchen and bathrooms.  Cleaning may include washing the windows inside and out, polishing your appliances, faucets and mirrors. 

Dust on top of the fireplace mantle, baseboards and fan blades.  Vacuum daily instead of weekly.  Don't forget about the outside, use a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and the exterior if you are selling in a warm season.  Otherwise, ensure the sidewalks and driveway is free of ice and snow.

Kitchens are a big selling point for many buyers, so you'll want yours to be as spotless and uncluttered as possible.  The interior of the fridge should be clean and orderly.  Toss all your expired condiments and make sure there are no unpleasant odors when you open the fridge door.  Having a new open box of baking soda stored in the fridge will help minimize unpleasant odors.

Pay attention to scents.  When you are expecting showings, don't cook anything that is strong smelling or where the smell lingers for a long period of time.  If you have pets, keep on top of their litter boxes and other potentially smelly areas.

Make Minor Repairs

It is a good idea to fix all minor repairs such as replacing cracked tiles, fixing leaky faucets, re-caulking tubs, showers and sinks.  Fix any doors that don't close properly and replace burned-out light bulbs.  Consider painting your walls neutral colors.

Curb Side Appeal

Consider painting the front door and window frames in neutral colours to freshen up the look of the house. Potted flowers are always a nice touch, but don't forget the yard. Keep the grass cut, and tidy any hedges or bushes away from the front of the house.

Rent a Self Storage Unit Near You in Edmonton

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. 

The house will seem more spacious and therefore, more appealing to potential buyers. After decluttering and depersonalizing, you may want to consider renting a storage unit in Edmonton AB for the items you still want to keep.  Remove pieces that block or hinder paths and walkways, along with that unique sofa that only you like.

Since these are your prized possessions and irreplaceable personal and sentimental items, you need to take extra care in choosing a storage facility that meets your needs. Ensure your family photographs and heirlooms are not ruined by mold, mildew and/or temperature swings with a climate controlled self storage unit at Elite Self Storage Edmonton.  We have storage solutions ranging from 25 sq ft to 150 sq ft, with good security and exceptional customer service.

It’s also important to consider any fixtures or features in your home that you plan on taking with you. Put those items into a storage space and replace with something less personal, otherwise buyers might expect them to come with the house.

Store any extra furniture, such as an extra leaf for your dining room table or chairs.  Leave just enough furniture to showcase the room's purpose.

Our Edmonton storage facility offers short term storage solutions with no security deposits or long term contracts.  Call one of our storage rental experts today 780-452-8242 to reserve your storage space.

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