5 Things to Do Before You Sell Your Home

If you are thinking about selling your home in Aspen, there are five things you should do before you talk to a real estate agent.

Selling your home requires you to do a little bit of legwork, and if you want to sell quickly (and at the right price), here are five things to do before you contact a REALTOR®:

Boost your curb appeal
Declutter the entire home
Go neutral
Make minor fixes
Bring in live plants

Scroll down for a closer look at each.

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Task #1 to Tackle Before You Sell: Boost Your Curb Appeal

Prospective buyers begin forming an impression of your home before they even set foot inside. In fact, as soon as they see your home from the street, buyers decide whether it’s worth a closer look.
That means you need to boost your curb appeal in any way you can. You should absolutely:

Cut the grass
Remove debris, toys and other items from your yard
Wash your windows until they sparkle
Power-wash your driveway
Consider investing in new house numbers and a new mailbox
Put out a “Welcome” mat
Add comfortable seating to your porch

All of these things combine to help buyers get a good impression of your home. And the best part? They’ll carry their favorable impression inside for the tour.
Related: Where to peek into Aspen’s past

Task #2 to Tackle Before You Sell: Declutter the Entire Home

Buyers like to see homes that have ample space for everything. You can help encourage that perspective by decluttering your entire home; a good rule of thumb to follow is that if you haven’t used something in the past six months, it needs to find a new place to live.
You don’t need to get rid of all the items you declutter. You just need to remove them from your home for the time being, so renting a storage unit may be a good choice for you. Consider removing:

Furniture that interrupts walking paths or makes rooms look smaller
Kitchen items on your counters or in your cabinets that you don’t use often
Off-season clothing
Toys your children no longer play with
Collections that are gathering dust

Task #3 to Tackle Before You Sell: Go Neutral

You want buyers to imagine themselves living in your space, which means you need to make that an easy task. If you have rooms painted in bold or gender specific colors, it’s time to go neutral. That way, buyers don’t have to mentally erase the paint in order to imagine themselves enjoying your home.
Related: Does underpricing your home help you sell?

Task #4 to Tackle Before You Sell: Make Minor Fixes

If your home needs any minor fixes, such as leaky faucets, flickering light bulbs or loose handles, now at the time to make repairs. By knocking these issues out of the way now, you’ll save yourself time later – and reduce the chance that a buyer’s home inspector will uncover them. This is important because buyers tend to use issues that come up on a home inspection report as negotiation points, and the fewer points you can give them, the better.

Task #5 to Tackle Before You Sell: Bring in Live Plants

Like plants make a space feel more like home, so now is a great time for some in. Choose plants that don’t require a lot of maintenance to keep looking good, such as peace lilies and mother-in-law’s tongue. And as an added bonus, these plants (and others) release oxygen into your home to freshen things up.
Related: 3 secrets to help you get higher offers on your home

Are You Selling or Buying a Home in Aspen?

If you’re ready to sell your home in Aspen, Woody Creek, Basalt, Carbondale or Snowmass, we may be able to help you.
Get in touch with us right now to find out how much your home is worth – and discover how we’ll be able to help you sell it quickly and for top dollar.
If you’re also looking for a home for sale in Aspen or a nearby community, check out our listings by price: