Things I am Doing Before Selling my House

When I was a kid, my parents used to switch houses every year or so. They were basically ancestors of what we call “house flipping” today. 25 years ago, house flipping was not very popular and there were not 10 “flip that house” reality TV shows. They were not really staging the house either. But they were good at finding a property with potential and exploiting it within a very short period of time. At that time, home staging was putting a few flowers and shrubs in the front yard then painting the whole house with up-to-date colors. Theses days, it is a bit more complex than this ;-). I am looking to sell my house either this year or next (I have not decided yet, but I know that I want to leave). Regardless if I make the move this summer or next year, I should “prepare” my house for success. So here are the 5 things I am currently doing to make sure I get the best price for my property:

#1 Updating the colors

There are 2 things to say about the color of the walls in my house: they reflect my taste but they also need to be updated! It’s been about 5-7 years since the rooms were painted so they don’t look as fresh as they used to. On top of that, we are big fans of darker or punchy colors such as a dark red in the stairway. In order to make our house bigger and more neutral, we have decided to paint the first floor with tints of gray and white. The living room will look bigger and it will be neutral to suit anyone’s taste.

#2 Make it look new

We have 2 young children (2 and 4 years old). They have obviously grown up in this house and we made a few “modifications” along the way. There was also the safety barrier that left a few holes in the walls. These things don’t really bother us in our day to day lives, but when it’s time to sell, your house must look as new as possible. This is why we will  repair these minor details before selling. We want to create a “wow” when the potential buyers come into our house.

#3 Change a few things around

My wife and I moved in together when we were 19 and we still have several pieces of furniture and picture frames from that time. Now is the right time to refresh our decor by changing a few items around for others that look better. Everything will flow according to the new color scheme on the first floor.

#4 Look at the market

Before putting my house on the market, I will carefully look at the current market and evaluate properties that have sold and those still for sale that are similar to mine. People tend to believe that their house is the most beautiful and that everything is better, this is why I am looking more at data than at pictures. It is important to look at the following:

–         size of the house

–         age of the house

–         size of the lot

–         number of bathrooms

–         number of bedrooms

–         if the basement is finished or not

–         quality of flooring

–         any equipment that comes with the house (pool, AC, central heating, alarm system, central vacuum, etc.).

This will ensure an accurate  comparative market analysis so you can set the right selling price for your property.

#5 Sell it myself

I don’t want to deal with a real estate agent. They cost an awful lot of money and I don’t feel like they bring any added value. Since I already work in the banking industry, I am well aware of the process and the paperwork. A few years ago, I helped my parents sell their home by themselves and they saved about $16,000 in real estate commissions. This is a considerable chunk of change ;-).

So we are already starting the preparation as I write this article because we want to make sure to have our house ready when we finally decide to put the “for sale” sign in front of the property.

Author: Mike.

Image source: