5 Things to Do Before selling Your Home in Berks CountyBefore you put your home up for sale in Berks County, you need to take care of some essential tasks. You need to make sure your home is prepared to sell. Taking time in advance to get your home ready for the Berks County market will help your home sell faster and make more money.

Here is a checklist of items you should focus on before you sell your home in Berks County:

1. Get your paperwork together

A modern home has many systems that make it function, from HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and appliances. If you have any paperwork that shows what work and maintenance has been performed on these systems, put it together so that buyers can see what needs to be done to keep it all running.

Buyers will also be interested in how much you've been paying for utilities, so make sure to have a sampling of bills put together that shows these costs over the past year or two.

2. Check on the little things

When you live in a home for years, you get used to the way things are, even if those things are looking a bit rough. Check around your home with a critical eye and find things that could use some fixing up. Have a friend help you if you can, as an extra set of eye can be a big help. Look at your home as if you're the buyer.

3. Erase evidence of pets

Most buyers don't want a home with pet damage. It's critical to not only fix any damage caused by pets, but smells as well. Of course, you're used to how your home smells with pets, but strangers coming to view your home are not. They will smell your pets and see any damage. 

Do what you can to get rid of these signs, especially shampooing the carpets or replacing them if they are too damaged. Also, when you have a showing, make sure to relocate your dog or cats if at all possible.

4. Clean up the landscaping

This step can cost almost nothing, except time and effort. Remove all the clutter and dead foliage from your yard. Cut the grass and trim away dead branches and shrubs. Fertilize your grass if it's brown or dying.

If you want to really make a difference, you can plant some flowers and lay down much to make a colorful splash for the spring real estate market.

5. Make things less personal

The main goal of showing your home to buyers in Berks County is to let them see how they can make the home their own. To do that, you need to remove as much of your personal items from view as possible. This means personal photos and all of your personal interests.

But be careful not to go overboard. You don't need to remove all traces of your existence. You can replace family photos with a few neutral photos of scenery, and leave a few decorative items around the house. 

Taking the time to make sure your home is ready to sell in Berks County will pay off in the end when your home sells faster and gets a higher price.

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