What should be done before selling a Connecticut home 2023 edition

  A Step by Step Guide

Getting ready to sell your house? If your thinking about putting your Connecticut home on the market there are a few things to consider to make your House buyer friendly. It’s time to put you nose to the grind stone and get to work because there are tons of things to do before selling your home! but here are six of the important ones in my opinion at least.

Selling a home, requires a lot more than just calling a Realtor, signing a listing agreement and planting a “For Sale” sign on your front yard and expecting top dollar for it.  Below are my six Pro tips for anyone getting ready to sell their Connecticut home in 2023.

  Find a great real estate agent or cash buyer

Think you can sell your home yourself, and pocket the cash you would otherwise pay a real estate agent, think again?

It can be a tempting thought, especially in a sellers market, but you should resist the urge, says Tony Buccheri, a real estate consultant with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services New England . He’s found that about 90 percent of  “for sale by owner” transaction  almost always end in disaster, causing you to sacrifice both time and money. That’s why one of the most important things to do before selling your Connecticut house is find a top notch real estate agent or Cash Buyer.

That said, don’t just hire the real estate agent who most recently sent you a flyer or uncles Toms friend who Real estates when he or she wants to, or an agent a friend’s co-worker’s cousin used. Do a little research to find a real estate agent who is knowledgeable about your local market, and then interview them to make sure he or she is a good fit.

Your real estate agent or cash buyer should be someone you feel comfortable working with, you trust to sell or buy your house for top dollar. Don’t be afraid to talk to a few real estate agents and cash home buyers before picking one.

  Curb Appeal

First impressions are everything, when a potential buyer arrives at your property the first thing, they see is the front yard and the front of the house. Make sure to have a well-manicured yard. Even if there is nothing wrong with the property other than the grass is a foot tall, it could still rub a potential buyer the wrong way, “make sure you cut the lawn”. Fix any exterior defects missing roofing or staining, there are companies that specialize in cleaning roofs Like Safe Roof Cleaning LLC. They will be able to remove those burdensome stains on asphalt shingles and make your roof look new again. Make sure the door bell works and if there a front porch its free from clutter, replacing your worn out door mat isn’t a bad idea either.

Curb appeal and the neighborhood can account for up to 75 percent of the buyers decision on purchasing your property so make sure they get the right impression upon arriving to the property.

  Is The House Clean?

A clean house gives the impression that the home was well cared for. De-clutter living areas, Less is definitely more when it comes to getting your house ready to show, notes Kamil Andrukiewicz , a real estate broker with New Haus Group LLC in New Britain Connecticut. Do a clean sweep of the entire house, clear off counters, empty drawers of unwanted things "Come On Everyone has at least one JUNK DRAW" Remove Nic-Nacs on windowsills and all other visible areas.

Next tackle areas behind closed doors, closets, storage spaces, the garage. If the house is packed to the gills with stuff a potential buyer might have a concern that the house wont have enough space for their own belongings and No ones taking out a Mortgage if they think they will also have to rent storage space.

Pack up they belongings you want to keep and donate the rest. You just killed two birds with one stone, not only will cleaning up your messy areas help you sell your home, once you have accepted an offer it will be a lot easier to move to a new place, " You be more organized and some of your stuff will already be packed up.

  Paint

If it's in the budget a fresh coat of paint goes a long way, not only dose it freshen up the look of a room it also may cover up an unpleasant odor but will get into that later.

While a cash buyer probably isn't going to care much if your home has freshly patted rooms or not, one brought by there real estate agent most certainly will. You might love that bright green accent wall but the chances are that you and a potential buyer share the exact same taste are unfortunately slim to none. It’s the seller’s job to help buyers picture themselves in the house. If they don’t feel at home, they’ll probably look at other home options.

I would say You’re pretty safe with a neutral colors because it’s rare that someone doesn't like them, but the other benefit is a light color allows a potential buyer to envision what the walls would look like with the color of their choice while making the rooms like more spacious at the same time.

  Unpleasant Odors and Smells

No ones likes those, well you might get lucky and the potential buyer is suffer the long lasting effects from COVID and may have not fully recovered there scene of smell but this is most likely not going to be the case.

      Conduct a smell test !!!

Foul odors, even slight ones, can be a deal breaker, and the problem is that you might not even notice them, since you are exposed to them all the time your nose recognizes them and your brain just passes it off. I recommend inviting an unbiased third party in to try to detect any smells or lingering odors that you might not be aware of. If the smells are present, prepare to do some deep cleaning. Trying to mask the smell with a candle or plug in may only make matters worse, specially if the buyer doesn't like the smell of Ocean Mist or Citrus fruit.

  Consider staging

Does your house scream hodge podge? Is your living room a mixture of modern furniture and antiques? Nothing invigorates a house like some new thoughtfully placed furnishings or a perfectly chosen mirror and lamp. Unfortunately the key is getting it done by a professional.

Home stagers will look at the  the current items and there placement in your house and determine what elements might help what buyers are looking for. A good home stager knows the Connecticut real estate market, and what sells and what doesn't  so it’s important to take their advice and not take offense when they suggest making big changes. Their job is to make your home show its best light to any potential buyer. If you decided on a cash offer from a home buying company, the appearance of the house will not be as important.