Lafayette Realtors Say Do These Things Before Selling Your Home

Lafayette, LA (KPEL News) - Spring is a great time to consider selling your house. The school year in Louisiana will end in May and moving is easier during the summer when parents don't have to deal with rigid schedules. Lafayette realtors Walter Campbell and Deborah Pierce with Keller Williams have extensive knowledge and experience when it comes to getting your house ready to put on the market.

Houses are made to be lived in and we Lafayette area folks know how to live. As a result, our homes endure wear and tear, not to mention aging. There's nothing wrong with that! Plan to set aside a certain amount of money you're willing to spend on getting your home ready to put on the market. Decide what that number is and figure out the best use of those dollars. You also want to make sure that the time and financial investment will pay off.

READ MORE: Step Inside the Most Expensive Home on the Market in Lafayette Area

Potential buyers will view your home very differently than you do, and Walter and Deborah have offered five easy tips to getting your house ready to put on the market to maximize the amount you will get when you sell.

DECLUTTER

The word "declutter" makes most of us cringe. We all have that one room, corner, or closet where everything we think we may need later is stashed. Kids have a way of collecting things in their rooms that tend to pile up. You may have every piece of paper or semi-important document stowed in different boxes in your office. Unfortunately, the clutter you become accustomed to living with will be an eyesore for someone looking to buy your home. That person needs to see themselves living there, and no one wants to live amongst mess and clutter. And purging can be good for the mind and spirit!

Take a good look at your kitchen and bathroom counters. Less is more. If you can put something neatly in a cabinet, do that.

DEPERSONALIZE

Lafayette and Acadiana center around family, and we like to show them off. My home is filled with pictures of my kids, grand kids, and family members. They make me happy and remind me of all the things I really have to be grateful for.

When it's time to sell a home though, the pictures need to be put away. Walter describes it as:

You need to make your home a house so that a potential buyer can see it as THEIR home.

Furniture and minimal decor help the house feel lived in. Too many personal touches can make buyers feel intrusive and get in the way of them envisioning it as their own. Walter suggests boxing them up and putting the boxes neatly in a single room. The buyers know you are moving, so the boxes aren't unexpected. Just keep them neat.

PAINT

As mentioned previously, homes are made to be lived in. We all have dings in the paint on the walls from moving furniture, kids playing with toys that scratch the walls, or even pets. Whatever the reason, touch up the paint to make it look fresh.

Consider the colors in your home. You may be a fan of LSU purple and decided it was a great color for your bathroom walls. But will that color be appealing to the majority of people? Think about painting the bold, personally favored colors over with a more neutral beige or shade of white.

If you live in a home with wood siding, check to make sure it looks decent from the outside. Could it use some touch-ups? Do you have shutters that need to be refreshed?

Louisiana heat and humidity can wreak havoc on both interior and exterior paint. It's relatively inexpensive to fix and can make all the difference in the way a buyer feels about your house.

ROOF AND MAJOR SYSTEMS

How old is your roof? We live in south Louisiana. We aren't strangers to hurricanes and strong, windy storms. Your roof may have taken a beating and suffered minor injuries you aren't aware of. Consider having someone inspect your roof. It could save you any surprises as you move through the selling process.

Louisiana heat is a beast, and our air conditioning systems are necessities. Is yours in good working order? Does it cool properly? Same goes for the heater. Because we live along the gulf coast, cold snaps are sporadic, at best. Louisiana folks don't typically run their heaters for long periods of time. Contact an HVAC company to perform an inspection to make sure everything is running as it should.

DEEP CLEAN

Deborah says wisely:

A good deep cleaning goes a long way.

Whether you roll up your sleeves or hire someone to do it for you, clean all the nooks and crannies. If you have pets that shed (like I do!), clean up the dog and cat hair that stays clustered in the corners. Dust the walls and all the furniture. Clean any carpets. Wipe cabinets, door facings, and baseboards. Scrub all your bathroom fixtures. As my momma always says, start in the corner of the room and work your way around.

BOTTOM LINE

A house is the biggest investment most people make. A buyer wants to make sure they are investing wisely, and a seller wants to maximize their investment. Walter and Deborah explained that adjustments in price can be made if there are things you, as the homeowner, don't want to tackle.

Lastly, work with a realtor. The right one can help make the process of selling easier by guiding you through each step.

Walter and Deborah join Tracy Wirtz each Tuesday morning at 7:30 on News/Talk 96.5 KPEL for Real Talk about Real Estate. They offer tips like these to sellers, buyers, and investors.