How to Prepare House for an Auction in a Month

How to Prepare House for an Auction in a Month

Autumn is the best time of the year to sell a house. On one side, potential buyers are not on vacation like in the summer. And on the other side, Christmas has passed, so people are not busy with the holidays and New Year celebrations. 

Today, we will show you how to prepare your house for an auction in less than a month. There is a lot to talk about and even more to work on, so let’s begin right away.

A fresh coat of paint

First, and the most obvious thing to do, is to put a fresh coat of paint on both the inside and outside of your house. First impressions matter, and if your property has washed out paint don’t be surprised if buyers back out even before they inspect the rest of your property.

Fortunately, repainting your house is not a huge investment. Additionally, don’t use “wacky” colours; keep it simple and universal. Sure, orange may be your favourite colour, but not a lot of people share that enthusiasm. Finally, don’t forget to apply protection oil on your wooden surfaces like floors, the fence, window frames, etc. to give them a new shine.

It’s time for spring cleaning

Next, you should clean your house, from top to bottom. Besides the usual chores such as dusting, washing the curtains, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, and so on, you should also declutter your household. When selling a house, you want to make it feel less personal and more of a house that is ready to be moved into. Therefore, remove all your quirky decorations, personal pieces of art, and other things that might put off potential buyers. Also, if you get rid of clutter, your home will look more spacious.

Everything needs to be operational

While making your property look pretty on the outside is the first step to impressing buyers, the second and more important step is to make sure that everything is operational on the inside. Your ventilation system, air conditioning unit, thermostat, plumbing, wiring, and other utilities all need to run smoothly if you want to have even the slightest chance of selling your property.

For example, one of the biggest problems in the old homes across the USA is their outdated and worn-out wiring. Yes, wires have an expiration date, sort of, and because of bad electricity, power surges, etc. wires can be damaged. So, hire a licensed electrician to inspect the wiring in your house, just to be sure everything is working as intended.

On the other hand, drains and pipes can crack and clog up due to various reasons. Just look at the situation in Australia. The number one cause of blocked drains in Sydney is not people using sinks as trash cans, but rather tree roots finding their way into piping systems. Luckily, today’s technology allows you to unclog the pipes without tearing them from the walls and ground. For example, high-pressure water jetting can fix any problem with pipes in an unobtrusive manner.

While blocked drains, leaky pipes, and worn-out wires may not seem like a deal breaker for you, homebuyers look at them as extra expenses, and the ones they will have to take care of before moving in.

Clean up the backyard

Finally, you should clean up your backyard. Spring is the perfect time to plant some flowers, maybe even a garden, build a deck, and so on. These relatively small projects can add a ton of flavour to your house, and most importantly, make it a more attractive choice. Of course, make sure to cut the grass and trim the bushes as well.

One month to prepare a house for an auction is probably not enough time to do all the things you have planned. However, even by following these four suggestions, your house will be ready for the market. Just remember to keep everything clean and operational, and the rest will work itself out.