Getting your house market-ready can feel like an overwhelming job, even in a seller’s market like Georgia’s. It can be difficult for sellers to figure out where to begin and which tasks are the best for drawing in interested buyers and getting fast offers. This can be especially challenging to juggle on top of other pre-listing tasks like searching for the right realtor, pricing the right home, and collecting relevant paperwork. To help Georgia sellers, we have made this quick and easy checklist for getting a property market-ready before listing.
Getting Your House Market-Ready
When you are selling your Georgia property the traditional way (listing it with a realtor), one of the first things you should consider doing is getting the house market-ready, which means that you try to get the house to its best condition in order to draw in more buyers and higher offers. The steps you take to get your house market-ready can vary depending on your market, your property, and how much time and money you can invest in the selling process. You can choose to make your property HGTV-ready with new décor and furniture, or you can simply make sure spaces are clean, tidy, and welcoming. No matter how much work you choose to do on your property, here are the top 7 steps that we recommend when you getting your Georgia house market-ready.
Boost Curb Appeal
The outside of your home will likely be the first thing that potential buyers see, so it’s important that you have good curb appeal to make a good impression. If you’re ready to invest in a high-dollar boost to try and maximize returns, you can pay professional landscapers to tidy and arrange the yard, a well as house painters to freshen your home’s exterior. However, this investment isn’t always necessary. A little yardwork can go a long way, so don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and spend a weekend raking leaves, mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, and putting fresh mulch in the flower beds. You can also use a pressure washer to tidy any grime that has built up on the porch, sidewalk, or siding.
Declutter Spaces
No one wants to live in a cluttered house, so you want to make sure that your Georgia property is tidy in order to appeal to buyers. Try to remove all non-essential items to get your house market-ready, which you can toss, donate, sell, or pack. These items can include unnecessary furniture, kitchen appliances on countertops, and any clutter in cabinets and drawers (you can count on buyers looking in closets and cabinets to see what kind of storage is available!). On top of keeping the home neat, this will make you home look more spacious, which will be a plus for buyers.
However, don’t go overboard with this. You want to declutter, but you don’t want to completely empty the house if you are going to be living there during the weeks of showings and open houses. You want to leave any essential items that you may need, as well as any décor that might make the home more appealing during showings.
Depersonalize the Home
While you are decluttering to get your Georgia house market-ready, you also need to depersonalize. This means that you remove any items or décor that are personal, such as family photos, mementos, or sentimental items. Removing these items provides a blank (but welcoming!) canvas for potential buyers to envision their futures on, which makes it much more likely for them to make an offer on your home.
Make Repairs
Repairs often feel like a requirement when getting your Georgia house market-ready, and for good reason. Necessary repairs can be one of the biggest issues that buyers choose to avoid in favor of finding a fully move-in-ready home. While larger repairs like HVAC replacement and new plumbing are more expensive and time-consuming, you can also handle small fixes like loose handles, leaking faucets, and scuff marks on your own at very little cost. This small effort can make your Georgia home look more polished to more prospective buyers.
Consider Updates
Fully market-ready houses usually have updated features, such as new appliances, fresh paint, and new flooring. Not all of these are necessary to find a buyer and get a good offer, but newly updated features often make your house more appealing to a larger range of buyers. You have the option to invest in fully refurbishing the home with new flooring, appliances, a finished basement, etc., or you can simply paint the walls a neutral color. Whatever choice you make for this step, don’t fall into the trap of bad DIY projects. Some projects are better handled by a professional, so stay away from any DIY updates that might tank your property value.
Stage Rooms
Staging is one of the best ways to show off a market-ready property. The process of staging aims to make your home visually appealing to as many buyers as possible by arranging furniture and incorporating neutral décor to enhance each room. You can hire a professional stager to do this, which can cost anywhere from $600 to $2,000, depending on the scope of the project. Alternatively, you can complete this process yourself. If you have decluttered and depersonalized, you’re already halfway done with staging. Now you just need to arrange your furniture so each room is tidy and has a clear purpose (you wouldn’t want to put a china cabinet in a bedroom, for example). Also incorporate neutral décor and wall hangings, and bring in fresh flowers and potted plants to brighten the space.
Deep Clean Everything
The most important step when getting your Georgia house market-ready is to clean, clean, clean! Vacuum the carpets, mop the floors, clean the windows, scrub the grout, and dust everything. Odds are that you should run a wet cloth over every surface in the home: cabinets, counters, tables, windowsills, etc. Your property should look absolutely pristine when it’s time to take listing photos and schedule showings. One thing that you shouldn’t overlook here is a smell test: have a third party walk through the home to make sure that there are no overwhelming smells that buyers might find off-putting.
Can I Avoid Getting My House Market-Ready?
If dealing with cleaning, repairs, and staging isn’t appealing to you, then don’t worry! You have plenty of options for selling your Georgia home without getting the property market-ready.
You can consider listing your house as-is. You can use terms like “good bones,” “great potential,” or “priced to sell” in the property listing to draw in the right buyers. We would also recommend cleaning and tidying the property before listing. Even buyers willing to purchase as-is properties want to see a clean house! However, be prepared for fewer interested buyers and lower offers because of the condition of your property.
Alternatively, you can skip listing altogether and directly approach a cash buyer for an offer on your Georgia property. Companies like We Buy Houses In West Georgia purchase homes totally as-is, which means that you can avoid making repairs, staging your house, and even cleaning. This streamlined process allows you to close on your house within as little as 2 weeks. If you want to learn more, we invite you to visit our How It Works page. Here, we offer full transparency about our homebuying process, including details about exactly how we calculate our offers. You can also check out Our Company page to get to know our team, our credentials, and our experience. Fill out the form below to get a no-obligation cash offer started now!