Selling the family home for as much money as possible demands that the property shines in the brightest light. But, of course, with your family still living in it, this can often seem like a very tall order. After all, kids and pets will always make messes, there will always be traces of the family’s daily minutiae. And despite your best efforts to keep everything tidy, you can only do so much as a busy parent. Don’t despair, however, because it’s well within your power to get your property ready for showings. It will take hard work, yes, but it can be done.
Here’s how you can pull off this seemingly impossible mandate.
Engage the Family
No doubt, you’re going to have your hands full trying to keep the family’s myriad messes at bay. However, you can make things a lot easier for you when you engage the family and compel them to help you out. It’s a good idea to start by sitting everyone down and explaining the big transition that’s about to happen in your lives. Keep it light and simple, and allow kids to air out their concerns and ask questions; after all, an impending move is about them.
Once that talk is out of the way, you can lay down some ground rules for the kids to help keep the house clean. At the most fundamental level, the little ones can be charged to pack away their toys back after playing, so prepare cute and colorful bins and boxes for the task. The older kids, on the other hand, can already be trusted to help you with tasks like vacuuming, cleaning after pets, organizing, and more, so perhaps throw in some incentives to fire them up.
Declutter and Downsize
Now, preparing a home for sale is also a very opportune time to declutter the house. This is a very important task to do as you want to keep personal items in the house at a minimum to make it more attractive to potential buyers. As a rule, buyers need to be able to see themselves living in the property for them to want to buy it, which is more likely to happen when you don’t have toys and dirty laundry tossed around.
On another note, decluttering will also make it easier for you when you do move. Take it as an opportunity to also downsize your things. You’ll be surprised at how much stuff you don’t actually need, use, or particularly want, so go ahead and get rid of them by throwing them out, donating them, or selling them. Everything else that you want to keep and take with you when you move, you can pack up and store.
And speaking of storage, don’t just throw things helter-skelter in your closets and drawers, as people who come to showings tend to look in there, as well. Rather, make sure these spaces are also well-organized and tidy. Better yet, store your boxes of stuff elsewhere like in self-storage — not just to reduce the eyesore, but also to keep your valuables safe.
Get Some Real Help.
Finally, if it all becomes too much, don’t be afraid to get help from the pros. If you are busy juggling parenting and a multitude of other tasks, you can get weekly or bi-weekly professional house cleaning to help keep the house showing-ready and your sanity intact. It could very well be the well-deserved splurge that you need, so you can focus on everything else that demands your attention.
If you’re a pet owner, a pet sitter can be invaluable when you’ve got a showing scheduled as some buyers may not be fond of animals. Also an anxious or overly friendly pet can be a distraction if serious buyers are viewing your home. If you’re not able to drop off your pet with a sitter, a CBD treat can reduce their stress. Look for a well-reviewed treat with a multitude of vitamins and minerals.
Suffice it to say, you will likely think that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew many times throughout the selling process, especially when you have to stay on top of cleanup. But by learning to delegate and engaging other people (your family, included) to help you, you’re better able to get things done — not to mention, get your house sold off successfully in no time.
The Scislow Group has the dedication, skill, and personalized service to handle all your real estate needs. To learn how they can help you, call (952) 953-5000 today!