Selling a home can feel like a full-time job, with open houses and last-minute showings. It requires the current homeowner to pretend like life is not actually occurring and to keep the home staged at all times.
Add a child or two to the mix, and selling a home can feel like a hopeless venture. However, with these four budget-friendly tricks, you not only can master the art of selling your home, but you can also adopt new habits that may keep your new home tidier.
Sort and Remove
The first step, and conveniently the least expensive way to prepare your home for sale, is to go through all your belongings and sort them into four piles:
- Items that can be donated
- Items that can be stored
- Items that can be trashed
- Items that must stay with you for the duration of the time you live in your home
Once you have your belongings separated, what is left over will become a lot more manageable. Stored items can be moved to an attic or, better yet, kept in a storage facility until you move into your new home. Many nonprofits that accept donations will even arrange to pick up any of the items you’re giving away.
Utilize Decorative Storage Options
All of us accumulate stuff, but kids seem to have a lot of it — all over the house. To make quick tidying up easy and fashionable, buy some inexpensive baskets, storage ottomans, and/or boxes. If you place the storage solutions in the most used areas of the house, you can direct that all toys get put in large baskets, blankets into decorative ottomans, and clothing into bins when a showing occurs. While the items will not always be neatly stored, they will be out of sight, clutter will not show, and they will be easy to locate later on.
Brighten Up the Space
Little touches in every room can do wonders for selling your home. While the rule of thumb is to remove personal items, so as to let potential purchasers picture themselves living in the house, adding decorative pillows, new bath towels, or a beautiful house plant can go a long way in adding some life to a room while not breaking the bank. Retailers such as Macy’s offer a wonderful selection of low-cost items, and you can keep lower costs even further down by using promo codes and coupons (for example, https://www.ebates.com/macys.com).
Make a Big Difference with Small Touches
With kids in the house, you likely have certain colors, toys, and small décor touches that appeal to your children. Embrace the idea that you have a kid-friendly home. If you have a playroom, you don’t need to spend money converting it into an office to make the sale. Tidy up the playroom so that it looks like it’s out of the pages of Pottery Barn Kids.
Involve your kids in the process by assigning tasks, and let them pick out some items they love and that they can have easy access to. If you have specialty fans, outlet covers, or growth charts, trade them out for standard items and pack away the personal touches for your next home. If you have bright walls, a low-cost and simple way to prepare your home for selling is to paint them a neutral tone to appeal to more buyers.
You don’t have to spend a ton of money to sell your home. Start the process by going through the no-cost solution of sorting through your belongings and deciding what to keep. Once you know what needs to stay in your house, get some budget-friendly decorative storage options. Brighten up your home with some interior appeal while highlighting the multiple uses of each space. Selling your home will take some effort, but it can also lead to a timely sale.
Kris Louis
Parentingwithkris.com | kristin@parentingwithkris.com
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