Sell an empty home in 5 simple steps

Selling an empty home is less of a challenge than you might think. Discover how to make your house seem like a home to potential buyers, even if it's empty.

If your house has been empty for a considerable amount of time, make sure your gutters are cleaned out regularly, the lawn mowed and your flowers and bushes pruned. Winter can be particularly hard on a house, so keep tabs on the paint condition so there are no cracks or chips in the siding. If you have moved out of the area, enlist a service to maintain your yard and driveway.

The mantra “less is more” applies to selling a house so you’re in better shape selling a home with sparse furnishings than trying to entice a prospective buyer when your space is full of personal belongings. That said, a few pieces of furniture in key rooms—a table with beautiful place settings in the dining room; an armoire in a bedroom—will help a buyer imagine their own furniture in the space.

It’s high time to replace any broken or sorely dated fixtures like doorknobs, drawer pulls, lights and faucets with items more modern and up-to-date. Brand new fixtures go miles ahead in terms of making your entire place look like new.

Fix any imperfections (chipped paint, ceiling, mouldings, window frames, etc.). They will be much more noticeable when there is nothing else to look at.

Homes that aren’t lived in on a regular basis can amass a mustiness that you'll want to eliminate. If you’re still living in the area, open the windows of your home every few days to air it out. Or speak with your real estate agent to make arrangements. On the days you expect viewings, bring in a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers to add a natural and lovely scent.