4 Ways to Prepare Your House for Selling in the New Year

Planning to sell your home in the upcoming new year? Maybe you finally found your dream home and are ready to move out. January is the perfect time to sell your current house and move into your new one. Here are four ways you can prepare your house for selling for the new year.

Keep Your Finances and Paperwork Organized

When it comes to selling your house, it’s important to have all the necessary documents in order. These include your tax information, homeowner association fees, and even home repairs. Take the time after the holidays or whenever your schedule isn’t packed to get organized. 

Here are some examples of paperwork that you must have to be able to sell your home:

• Appliance manuals
• Property tax records
• Personal tax records
• HOA details
• Warranty information
• Documentation of any upgrades made

In some cases, selling residential property means you’ll be purchasing a new house also. At the same time as preparing your seller’s documents, you need to ensure that your personal financial information is organized as well. This is so that when the moment arises that you need to purchase a new house, you’re ready to go.

List Down Your Home Repairs

Take advantage of the first month of the year to do a full inventory of your home. Inspect each room in the house and assess whether there are repairs, replacements, or cleaning that should be done. For example, a fresh coat of paint in the kitchen can help keep the room lively and fresh. And since the holidays are over, you no longer have to worry about visitors as you move furniture or do tape molding.

As soon as the inventory is finished, establish a timeline for conducting repairs and develop a plan for larger projects, such as renovations, if necessary.

Execute Home Maintenance Routine

By scheduling your yearly home maintenance chores at the beginning of the new year, you can keep your routine organized instead of doing them at different months of the whole year. For example, when it comes to maintaining your house during the winter, experts recommend homeowners to replace all air filters, remove window screens, inspect all smoke and carbon monoxide alarm batteries, and check for drafts around doors and windows.

Declutter

The slow, post-holiday weekend is the best time to start decluttering the major areas in your house. Why not get rid of anything that you haven’t used over the last 12 months or more? Additionally, if you end up moving later in the year, then that’s one less chore to do while packing and preparing the house for potential sellers.

Make sure to organize the following:

• Closets
• Bathroom and kitchen cabinets
• The pantry area
• The laundry area
• Hallways
• Garage

This is not only an outstanding way to start the new year with a fresh, clean slate, but it’s also a necessity when it comes to selling your house. When potential buyers come to visit, showing that the house has an adequate amount of storage space will attract a lot of potential buyers. Additionally, clean and organized cabinets and closets are much more aesthetically appealing.

Final Takeaway

A lot of preparation is needed in order to get everything for your house to be sold to ensure that the process goes smoothly and there are no major inconveniences that may pop up while your house is in the process of being bought by another buyer.

So, is your house ready to be sold for the upcoming year?