Maybe you inherited a home from your Aunt Sue and her daughter gained possessions of all the belongings inside. Or maybe you were renting a home and your last tenants moved out. Either way, now you have a vacant home on your hands that you’re ready to get rid of. But how do you sell a vacant home?
You might be surprised that you don’t necessarily need to spend thousands of dollars outfitting the property with furniture and accents to make it seem like someone lives there. You can sell a vacant home following these simple tips.
Clean, Clean, Clean
Vacant homes aren’t inherently bad or unsellable, but if you let your last renters leave behind dirt or broken furniture without cleaning it up… buyers will certainly be repelled. Make sure your vacant property is cleaned from top to bottom. Without a lot of wall coverings or a fully furnished home, corners with dust or scrapes on the walls will be even more noticeable. It’s worth hiring a professional cleaning crew.
Step Up the Curb Appeal
A welcoming home is a home that sells. Adding curb appeal to a vacant property is crucial. Refresh the flower beds, cut back any dead branches on the trees and bushes, and cut the grass. Even a new mailbox and house numbers will make a big difference. Your potential buyers want to imagine pulling up to this home as their own, so make it a cheerful place to approach from the street.
Stage the Important Rooms
You may not have the resources to furnish the entire home, but you should stage a few key places if you can. Put a bed in the master bedroom, set up a kitchen table, and borrow a couch and TV stand for the living room. You want buyers to get an idea of how much furniture can fit in the rooms they use most. Sometimes this is simply hard to gauge without seeing any furniture in the place. If you don’t have extra furniture to use, a staging company can help.
Make Sure You Secure the Home
Vacant homes can be targets for thieves. If you make one improvement, let it be a security camera system. Even a DIY system adds a level of protection. Put a security system sticker on the front window that lets people know the property may be empty, but it’s still monitored. Leave the system behind for the new owner — this added amenity could make some buyers very happy.
Along the same vein, make sure your home insurance covers a vacant property. You may need to switch your coverage to make sure you are qualified to file a claim in the event of an accidental flood or break in. Some policies won’t pay out a claim if the home has been empty for more than a certain number of days.
Invest in Good Lighting
The right lighting can make a space feel very warm. Absent a fully furnished property, the warm glow of new bulbs can make a place feel like someone lives there. In rooms without overhead lighting, put a few standing lamps in the corner. If there is an open house or private tour in cloudy whether, you don’t want buyers walking through in dim conditions. It’s spooky and unlikely to inspire an offer.
Do you have a vacant home that’s not selling? Call California Family Homebuyers today. We buy homes in and around Sacramento in all types of conditions. We’ll take a tour of your home and if we decide to purchase your property, we may be able to close in just a few weeks or less.