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10 Tips to Consider When Selling Your Home

Couple looking at a new home with a realtor

Preparing your home to sell will take some work, but the results will make a huge difference in how buyers perceive your home. Outside of the typical maintenance such as cleaning, de-cluttering, touch up painting, etc., we have 10 tips that can increase your chances of a successful home sale!

  1. Enlist a professional: Hiring a great real estate agent is key in selling your home faster and for a better price than doing it on your own. They know the area, what other homes in the neighborhood are going for, and have connections to listing sites and other sellers.
  2. Consider professional cleaning: Make the minimal investment and hire a professional cleaning company. Make sure the most common areas such as the kitchen and bathrooms are spotless. If your carpet could use a facelift, get them professionally cleaned.
  3. Clean up your landscape: Your yard will be one of the first things buyers will see when they pull up to your house. You don’t have to have the neighborhood yard of the month – just mow the lawn, trim the bushes and pour some mulch in the flowerbeds! Help a potential buyer imagine how nice their potential new home might look from the outside. The curb appeal uplift is worth it!
  4. Organize the entryway: Another opportunity to make a great first impression is to organize and tidy up your entryway. Add a small bench, entryway rug or small table with fresh cut flowers to jazz it up.
  5. Address all odors: Smell is powerful and can make or break a home sale. Buyers aren’t impressed if they are walking into a stinky home. We suggest using odor-eliminating soy candles and carpet fresheners. Toss some cookies in the oven or grind a lemon in the garbage disposal.
  6. Remove pets during showings: Remove pets and pet odor when showing your home. Having evidence of your pet, including their odors can kill a home sale, especially if a potential buyer has a pet allergy.
  7. Remove personal items: When arranging your home to appeal to buyers, it is important to remove personal items from the home. This may include personal pictures, knick-knack collections, children’s artwork, etc.
  8. Check drains and repair leaky faucets: Clogged drains and leaky faucets won’t leave a good impression on prospective buyers. Be sure drains are clear of clogging debris and faucets are leak-free.
  9. Clean curtains: These dust magnets can turn off prospective buyers. Make sure curtains are clean and fresh.
  10. De-clutter closets: Storage is always at the top of the list when prospective buyers are house hunting. Remove at least half of the inventory (or everything) from closets, drawers and cabinets.

We understand your goal is to successfully sell your home. Consider these 10 tips and you should be on your way! Be sure to check out website for other useful articles about selling and moving. Zippy Shell looks forward to being a worthwhile partner in your new adventure, whether you are moving to a new home or just need storage while staging your current home. Give us a call today at 888-947-7974 or check out our website for a free quote.

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The Best Ways to Sell Your House When You Have Pets

Dog under a blanket

Many buyers and sellers of homes are pet owners. However, marketing your home as one that is full of pets does not appeal to all buyers. A buyer will want to picture themselves living in your home, and if there are clear signs of a pet previously living there such as pet fur or pet smells, it may cause them to stray away from purchasing your home. During your open house, your home should appear as if a pet had never lived there at all. Use these tips to help hide your pets’ evidence as you put it on the market!

Depersonalize your home

Throughout the process of cleaning your home, you are going to remove a lot of personal items that sit in plain sight. This also applies to any of your pet’s items. This includes water and food bowls, beds, toys, and anything else that belongs to your pet. Put all of these belongings into a bin and store them for the duration of your open house.

Remove all signs of a pet

Although you may think your pet has not done anything to change your home, to fresh eyes, it can be more noticeable what the differences are. Get rid of that pet smell you have grown so used to by cleaning your entire home with these tips!

Find a pet sitter

Even if you have the most well-behaved pet in the world, a buyer will not want to interact with it while they are looking for a new home to buy. Before having an open house, make sure that you have somewhere to keep your pet for a few hours. Ask a neighbor or family member if they could take your pet in during this time. Avoid leaving your pet in your backyard for this duration of time, as the heat may be dangerous if it is outside for too long. If you can’t find a pet sitter, do not attempt to hide your pet. Simply leave your pet in a secure room in a kennel.

Use Zippy Shell

After you have used these tips to help sell your home, contact Zippy Shell to help you with your move! We can service moves of many sizes, and even offer storage options if you need it. Check out Zippy Shell’s storage options to store some of your belongings to make your home more spacious while you are hosting an open house. Contact us today for a free quote and see how we can make moving and storage simple for you! 

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How to Boost Your Curb Appeal During the Winter

Winter can be tough on your home, but that’s not an excuse to let your curb appeal go. There are some quick things you can do in the Winter to keep your home looking great all season long. Here are our favorite tips and tricks to boosting your curb appeal in the Winter.

Fresh paint

Stay up to date with the exterior of your home. Repaint your front door, as well as your shutters when necessary to give your home a fresh new look. Choose a nice color to make your home stand out in the darkness of winter.

Keep Snow Cleared

Keep your sidewalks, driveway, and front porch clear from snow to prevent any damage to the pavers underneath and accidents that could cause injury. Clearing the snow off will help keep your walkways and driveway looking their best.

Clean up Debris

Clear out all of the leaves from your gutters that have accumulated from the fall, and additionally, always make sure there is no debris in your yard, such as leaves or fallen branches. Clean gutters will stop water from overflowing the gutters and running down the side of your house spreading dirt and mud all over the exterior of your home.

Feed the birds

Install a bird feeder in your front yard; any size will do. Attracting birds to your yard will make your yard a more inviting place.

Illuminate your home with a warm glow

The winter cold can give a harsh white color to the world. Make sure the lights in your front yard are a soft yellow color to give your home a warm appearance.

Add some greenery

Although it is hard for most plants to thrive in the winter weather, adding just a little bit of life to your front yard will make your home look less lifeless. Add something like a mini pine tree that can withstand the cold.

Once your home has been purchased, have Zippy Shell help you safely move your items to your new home. Get a quote here today!

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Don’t Wait Until Spring to put Your Home on the Market in New Orleans

Most people move at the end of spring or beginning of summer, that way they can get their kids adjusted before the new school year starts. They will be looking at homes as early as winter if not right now so act quick and get your home on the market if you are trying to sell soon!

Here are some tips that will help your house shine in the spring:

Rake and trim

The first thing a buyer will see is your yard and shrubbery. To make a good impression, you want to have them in tip-top-shape. Cut your grass and trim your bushes regularly. If you do not already have any, plant some colorful flowers to spice up your front yard.

Prep your home in the winter to prepare for it to be ready in the spring time!

Any indoor cleaning and decluttering that can be done, get that over with in the winter. While it’s cold outside you won’t be prepping the exterior of your home or your yard, so get to work reorganizing inside.

Offer a welcoming front entrance

At the front door have a homely welcome mat outside, as well as a small carpet right inside the front door. You can also set up an umbrella stand or coat rack right inside as well.

Utilize colors

Accessorize your rooms with pretty throw pillows or carpets, tailoring the colors to be spring themed, such as light blue or pink.

Polish your windows

Give your house an extra sparkle by brightening the exterior of your house. It will make your house appear newer.

Need Storage While you are Selling your Home?

Zippy Shell of Louisiana makes decluttering easy and affordable. We’ll deliver a storage container directly to your door for you to pack then store it in our secure climate-controlled storage facility. Out of the eyes of buyers! After your home sells, we’ll deliver your storage container to your new home!