5 Easy Ways to Get Your Home ready to Sell on a Budget

4/16/2019 (Permalink)

Clean Homes Sell Faster

Selling your home can be a stressful time, especially for busy parents who are managing overpacked work, home and school schedules. It can be really challenging to stay on top of your home-selling progress, especially maneuvering around showings when you are often drawn in multiple directions. Not only will you need to be out of the house during those times, but so will your children and pets. On top of that, you’ll need to make sure your home is ready for a showing, and that means finding time to clean and pick up clutter in a day that is already full.

Selling your home shouldn’t have to steal all your free time. Here are 5 easy, simple ways you can keep your home spotless and attractive with time and money constraints.

Set the stage

Staging your home not only makes it more appealing to buyers, but it also helps them imagine what their lives would be like in your home. When you set the stage with potential buyers’ perspectives in mind, you create a blank slate for their imaginations. It might seem cost-prohibitive to purchase items that you are only going to use to stage your home, but there are many ways to stage your home on a budget. For example, you can save big on small, but meaningful, touches, like decorative hand towels and dining room table settings, from top brands like Macy’s—simply look online for Macy’s discount codes, coupons and cashback offers before you head out on your shopping trip.

Storage as décor

Quickly pick up and store clutter by using storage options that also function as décor or furniture. This is a great way to make a quick and easy sweep through the house the night before a showing. You can save money on these items by using inexpensive storage solutions, like baskets with lids, from retailers like Michaels (which offers new sale items each week). They can be stashed in a closet and still look organized, or set out in a room to appear decorative.

Ask a friend to be a pet sitter

Keeping up with the clutter and mess that comes with owning a pet can be a challenge for anyone, but it is especially stressful when you are selling your home. You can limit the amount that your dog or cat adds to the mess by asking a friend or family member to keep your furry family member on a part-time basis. Whether this is before or during showings or for an extended period of time, it can also be helpful to your pet. Moving is stressful on animals, so spending more time with a human they trust in a home where they are comfortable could not only cut down on clutter, but on anxiety as well.

Create a chore chart

Selling a home is a whole-family affair. Get your partner and your kids involved in the process by setting up a “Home Selling Chore Chart.” These are simple nightly chores everyone is assigned to help pitch in to keep your home looking its best. From straightening up the yard to dusting the blinds and from sweeping the bathroom to making the beds, a chore chart can help you feel confident during those unexpected showings that tend to pop up. This is a far more cost-effective option than hiring a cleaning company, and since you are spreading the workload among the whole family, it makes cleaning less time consuming as well.

Emphasize curb appeal

It’s a cliché, but it’s true—you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. And that first impression occurs before potential buyers even enter your home. That’s why curb appeal is so important—and can often become one of the costlier aspects of preparing your home to sell. You can manage those expenses by purchasing outdoor décor through Amazon Warehouse Deals. This side of Amazon offers steep discounts on used or refurbished items. You can also get deals on lawn care services by looking for companies offering deals on Groupon or through your realtor.

Selling your house is a transition time that can sometimes feel like limbo. You are probably eager to spend your time and money on your new home, so it’s easy to look only ahead instead of where you are right now. However, trying out some of these time- and cost-saving home prep tips could be the very thing that gets you closer to enjoying the next chapter in your life.