Four Things Everyone Should Do Before Selling Their Car

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Introduction

Reselling your car can be a tricky business. Without any know-how or prior experience, it can be a scary situation to be in. After all, both buyers and sellers want the best deal, and that can be a tricky relationship to navigate.

For sellers, the key to getting a good deal is simple — to do your homework and put in the preparation work. Not only will this boost the potential value of your preloved car, but it also prevents you from selling yourself short. No one wants to end up selling their vehicle for less than they could have!

To help you avoid that scenario, here are 4 important steps to take when preparing to sell your car. From car mats to check out to paperwork tips, we hope this article comes in handy for you. They may seem easy, but rest assured that these simple steps will work wonders to help increase the resale value of your car and prevent you from having to take a loss.

1. Clean up your car

If you put yourself in the shoes of the buyer, there’s no doubt that the perceived value of a clean car is automatically much higher than one that is dirty. While this step may sound obvious, many people actually choose to skip this step due to laziness — and hence skip out on some extra value their car could have fetched.

No doubt it can be a tedious job, but cleaning up both the interior and exterior sections of the car is a guaranteed way to impress prospective buyers from the get-go. For the interior, a protip is to look carefully under the seats and in the trunk for any personal items. You’d be surprised at how many people accidentally leave keys or phones in there! Use a vacuum for the floor and for in between the seats to leave them dust-free. Additionally, investing in good car mats for your vehicle early will not only protect it from wear but help increase its saleability too.

You may also want to clear the engine bay too, as most, if not all buyers will request to take a look before sealing the deal. To do this, you may need some supplies and protective gear. Start by letting the car cool down overnight or at least for three to six hours. Then, disconnect the battery and wrap electrical parts with plastic before brushing, washing and vacuuming the engine. At the end of it, you should use a towel to wipe everything up to keep it nice and dry.