Whether you’ve lived somewhere for a month, a year, or a decade- you’ve made it your own. You’ve spent long nights in the kitchen cooking up master-chef quality meals. You’ve watched football games and your favorite movies in the living room. You’ve spent long hours making your house into a home, which makes it even more difficult to pack up and say goodbye. However, every ending can also be considered a new beginning. Your new home is out there waiting to be filled with love and memories, but before you can make that leap – you must make sure your current condo is ready for sale.
Getting your condo ready for sale can be a long process. From packing up your belongings to making sure you stage it properly so it appeals to new buyers, it can take a lot of time and energy to have your home looking camera-ready. Luckily, Peacock Properties has compiled a list of to-dos for Bostonians looking to put their condo on the market.
- Make minor repairs to your home. Remember that crack you’ve been meaning to fill for years? That lightbulb that burnt out months ago in the hall closet? The golf ball-sized hole in the wall from New Years 2017? Minor repairs such as these, when not taken care of, could give potential buyers the idea that the home has been neglected, and leave them wondering what other issues may have been left unresolved.
- Good smells are important. We’ve all likely heard the age-old trick of throwing a sheet of cookies in the oven minutes before an open house to create a homey smell. However, if you’re not quite a baker, there are other options. We suggest lighting some clean smelling candles or getting a plug-in air-freshener.
- Drive-up curb appeal. The first thing that a potential buyer sees is the outside of your home, so don’t be afraid to plant some new flowers, freshen up the mulch, or, if needed, give the outside of your condo a new coat of paint. Of course, before taking on any major projects, be sure to get permission from your homeowners association.
- Clean, and then clean again. When it comes time to sell, there is little else as important as having a clean home. Dust, vacuum, wash, wipe down, every nook and cranny, and then do it again. Potential buyers should be able to picture themselves in your home, but it’s hard to imagine themselves settling in when they can’t stop staring at the layer of dust on your end tables.
- Paint rooms as necessary. If your son is a Bruin’s super-fan and painted his room a bright orange-yellow or if the living room walls have been purple since before the previous owners moved out, you may want to update to a more neutral color pallet. The less work a potential buyer must put in to make the condo fit their style, the better.
- Highlight storage spaces. One of the most difficult parts of finding a home is ensuring that there is enough storage and space for your belongings. Highlight storage spaces in your condo by neatly organizing closets and cabinets and be sure to get rid of excess clutter.
- Contact your property management company. In the process of updating or getting your condo ready to sell, you may be undertaking some bigger projects that could benefit from the expertise and assistance of a property manager.
Obviously, there is no foolproof way to ensure your condo will sell right away. However, following these steps will certainly be beneficial in the process. Whether you’re throwing down some mulch, fixing the rickety deck in the backyard, or something in between, Peacock recommends contacting your property management company to see how they can assist you in the process of getting your home ready to sell.
The more time and effort that you put into getting your condo sale-ready ahead of time, the better it will be in the long run. As you move out and in to what is hopefully your dream home, it’s important to remember that, with a little TLC, your condo is someone else’s dream home too.