How to prepare your house for sale in the Atlanta housing market
Whether you’ve been planning your move for a while or need to sell your house fast, getting your property ready for the Atlanta real estate market can be a lot of work.
Here are some of the things you might need to do to ensure a successful house sale, plus a recommendation if you don’t want to go to the trouble.
Assess the state of your property.
First, you’ll want to figure out what kind of shape your house is in.
This doesn’t mean you have to pay for a professional home inspection. Georgia is a “buyer beware” state, which means it is usually up to the buyer to identify problems with the property. You are still required to disclose the issues you are aware of when asked by the buyer, but you don’t need to seek out other things that are wrong with your house.
That said, traditional buyers will almost always book a home inspection during the due diligence period. If a major issue like corroded water pipes or roof damage comes up, it can jeopardize the sale last-minute and force you to make an unplanned repair.
Make needed repairs.
Fixing minor problems like leaky faucets and broken tiles can go a long way toward helping you sell a house. Addressing larger issues, like roof repairs, outdated wiring, or water damage, might also be necessary before you can sell on the traditional market.
In some cases, you can do the work yourself. Otherwise, you’ll need outside help to prepare your house for sale. Here are some best practices:
- Find the right contractor: Whether you use online reviews, have a contractor you’ve worked with in the past, or collect multiple bids and go with the least expensive option, you’ll want to find someone you can trust to do the work on your timeline and budget. Handymen can be great if you have a lot of general issues to fix. When you need work like electrical, plumbing, or HVAC done, you may want to go with a licensed expert.
- Make sure your contractor is local, licensed, insured, and bonded: An unlicensed or out-of-town contractor might not be familiar with local building codes, which could become a problem during inspection. An uninsured or non-bonded contractor can leave you liable for accidents on your property.
- Get the details in writing: Having the work description and cost estimate in writing can eliminate confusion.
- Think twice before major renovations: Replacing the shower, pouring a brand-new driveway, and other big renovations might do a lot to improve the quality of your home, but you may not get a return on your investment. Your real estate agent might be able to advise you on what to prioritize before you put the house on the market.
Add a fresh coat of paint.
Adding a fresh coat of paint as needed can do a lot to boost the appeal of your house. For interior walls, most sellers choose neutral colors like whites, greys, and creams. Try to get the painting done a month before you list, so your walls look crisp and market ready.
If painting the exterior seems unnecessary or is out of budget, you can consider just freshening up the front door for an extra pop.
Take care of landscaping.
Often, homeowners can do landscaping on their own. Mowing, edging, raking leaves, weeding gardens, and planting flowers may be part of your regular routine. If your lawn is in bad shape or just needs extra care, consider hiring a professional landscaper.
Sick trees can turn off prospective buyers and present safety issues. Root-rot diseases, powdery mildew, and other tree diseases can be common in the Atlanta area. Branch removal, tree removal, and tree treatment all may require the help of a tree company.
Since this is Georgia, you’ll want to be mindful of your lawn’s kudzu situation as well.
Give your house a deep cleaning.
Deep cleaning can be a lot of work, but it can also make a huge difference. Here are a few tips for the interior:
- Declutter first: Organize every room, every closet, and every storage area—essentially, everywhere that a buyer might look during a showing. If you are overwhelmed with stuff, you can donate or throw away everything you don’t need, hire a professional organizing service, or rent a storage unit and deal with it later.
- Work top to bottom in every room: Start with the ceiling fans and finish with the baseboards and floors.
- Don’t forget curtains, furniture, insides of windows, and other out-of-the-way places: Not everybody cleans spots like curtains and upholstery as part of their weekly cleaning routine, but they’re important to clean before showings begin.
- Watch out for mildew and grime—especially in the bathroom: Excess moisture can make the bathroom a real problem area in a lot of houses. Scrub the floor and shower area carefully. Invest in a good mildew remover, if need be.
- Pay attention to the toilet: The bad news is that the state of the toilet will require daily attention when you’re trying to sell your house. The good news is that toilets can be easy to keep up with after a deep cleaning.
- Don’t forget the appliances: The fridge, the washer and dryer, the dishwasher, and all the other appliances in your house probably need a good once-over.
Here are some things to do for the exterior:
- Clean windows and screens: A lot of people don’t wash outside windows and screens on a regular basis. When you’re trying to sell a house, this is something you’ll want to do.
- Wash rugs and mats: After a good deep cleaning of your outdoor rugs and mats, you should be able to get away with just sweeping them every so often.
- Look for debris and misplaced objects: Small toys, trash, and forgotten gardening tools have a way of showing up in people’s yards. A quick yet thorough walkthrough should keep you covered.
- Spruce up any grills and exterior furniture: These items are out in the elements, so nobody is expecting perfection. Just do your best and remove or replace any major eyesores.
- Pressure wash if you can: Pressure washing your deck and sidewalks can have your house looking great in no time at all.
If this is too much, you can always hire a cleaning service and/or a professional organizer.
Your house will be much easier to keep clean if you aren’t occupying it. In rare cases, your real estate agent might even provide a free housekeeping service that does basic cleaning once or twice a week while it’s listed.
If you are occupying the house, you’ll have to work a little harder to stay ready for the next showing.
Get your house staged and photographed.
If the house you’re trying to sell is unoccupied, it can make a lot of sense to put in staging furniture and decorations. Staging helps buyers visualize what it will be like to live in your house. These items can be bought, borrowed, or rented. Examples of staging items include a simple desk for a bedroom corner, a neutral floor rug for a living area, and a small rack of wine glasses for the kitchen. Your real estate agent might have helpful staging tips based on your house’s neighborhood and price range.
If you are living in the house, staging can mean removing personal items. You also might want to store or replace damaged or out-of-date furniture while your house is on the market. A good rule of thumb is to imagine the kind of furniture and decor you would expect to find in a vacation rental.
Once everything is staged, you can get the house photographed for the MLS listing. Several real estate companies provide professional photography when they list your home. If you are planning to sell FSBO (for sale by owner), you may want to hire a photographer. Having 25–30 professionally done images (and even a virtual tour) on your online listing can definitely attract more buyers.
Costs and timelines when you’re preparing your house for sale
According to Angi.com, here is the national average price range for several services:
- Seller home inspection (if desired): $296–$424
- Handyman services: $412 (per project average)
- Major repairs: Varies by project
- Professional organizer: $252–$835
- Professional deep cleaning: $200–$400
- Interior painting: $966–$3,071
- Exterior painting: $1,811–$4,533
- Professional landscaping: $1,251–$6,068
- Tree trimming: $270–$1,800
- Tree removal: $200–$2,000
- House staging: $839–$2,933
And here is a timeline you can use:
- 3–6 months before listing: Assess the property’s condition. Choose a real estate agent (if applicable).
- 2 months before listing: Make repairs. Declutter.
- 1 month before listing: Paint. Landscape. Start the staging process.
- 2 weeks before listing: Do deep cleaning. Finish staging process. Book photography.
You can sell your house “as is” with We Buy Ugly Houses® instead.
Now that you know how to prepare your house for sale, you may be wondering if there is an easier way. Well, there is!
We Buy Ugly Houses® is an off-market buyer that purchases houses “as is.” You don’t need to clean, hire contractors, or make repairs. We Buy Ugly Houses purchases all kinds of properties, and our Atlanta-based team is focused on giving you a fast, hassle-free experience. We can sometimes close in as little as 3 weeks. We’ve been in business for over 25 years and have earned a 95%* nationwide customer satisfaction rating from sellers who responded to our post-sale survey.
Before you break out the cleaning supplies or get a bid from the next contractor, see what We Buy Ugly Houses can do for you!
