7 Essential Steps to Prepare Your Home for the Portland Market in Summer 2024
Selling your home in Portland during the vibrant spring and summer months can be an exciting experience. The blooming flowers and longer days create a perfect backdrop to showcase your property. To ensure your home stands out and attracts top dollar, follow these seven crucial steps before listing it.
1. Boost curb appeal
First impressions matter. Start by enhancing your home’s curb appeal. Mow the lawn, trim hedges, plant seasonal flowers in matching pots near the entry, and power wash walkways and driveways. Consider repainting the front door or updating exterior light fixtures. A welcoming exterior invites potential buyers to explore further.
2. Declutter and depersonalize.
If you’re planning to sell within even the next year, begin removing personal items like family photos and keepsakes. Buyers need to envision themselves living in your home. Declutter each room to make spaces appear larger and more inviting. Donate or store unnecessary items and furniture pieces to create a more clean, neutral environment that appeals to a broad audience.
3. Make necessary repairs.
Address minor repairs that might distract potential buyers. Things like leaky faucets, squeaky door hinges, loose door handles, cracked tiles and missing grout are often called out in inspections. Get ahead of these small items now so the house shows in a cared-for manner. Ensure all light-fixtures are working and replace burnt out bulbs. A well-maintained home signals to buyers that the property has been taken care of therefore reducing their concerns about potential hidden issues.
4. Refresh the interior
A fresh coat of paint can work wonders. Opt for neutral colors like soft grays, beiges, or whites to create more of a blank canvas for buyers. Consider updating outdated fixtures (but leave the historically relevant ones!), replace worn carpets, and refinishing hardwood floors. Cleaning windows is always on my suggestion list as it can immediately brighten up your living space, flood the room with natural light and make the home feel and seem much cleaner.
5. Stage your home
Staging can make a significant difference in how buyers perceive your home. Arrange furniture to highlight each room's best feature and create a flow that showcases the room's potential. Professional stagers are extremely talented in executing a vision for the space that will not only be attractive and appealing to a broad range of people but sometimes even surprise homeowners who may have grown accustomed to having the room situated a certain way! Adding new/fresh decor elements like throw pillows, rugs, air-cleaning house plants and colorful artwork create a pleasing atmosphere.
6. Deep clean every nook and cranny. Seriously!
A spotless home is essential. Hire professional cleaners to deep clean your entire house. As mentioned previously, include carpets and windows, but also have the drawers, cabinets, and appliances deep cleaned as well. Pay extra attention to high traffic zones like the kitchen and bathrooms - as they’re ultimately the most used and important rooms in the house. A clean home feels move-in ready making it more appealing (and motivating) to potential buyers.
7. Get a professional valuation and personalized selling plan
Ready to take the next steps in selling your home? Contact me today for a no-obligation valuation analysis. I’ll provide you with a comprehensive list of personalized recommendations to maximize your home’s sales price. I have access to some truly fantastic vendors who can help assist in the preparation of your home. I help to organize and coordinate each service vendor and am present for all of these appointments ensuring the goal and vision is right for your property. Visit my website www.brittbragg.com to reach out and schedule your consultation! My goal is to get you the best return on your investment by bringing your home to market in the best possible way and expose it to the largest pool of qualified buyers.
Preparing your home for sale sets the stage for a successful and profitable transaction. By following these steps and working with a seasoned and dedicated real estate professional (ahem! Britt Bragg!) you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals with your home sale and looking forward to whatever your next adventure may be. I’m here to help, and I look forward to hearing from you.