Don’t Be Penny Wise & Pound Foolish!
Preparing your home for sale can be a very sensitive subject but if you do it right you can receive big dividends without a lot of expense. Have you ever become so familiar with something you stopped seeing it. It’s like looking in the mirror everyday seeing yourself looking like a twenty year old until someone takes a picture of you and you wonder who that 50 something is in your body. Once you select a real estate professional one of the first things that should be done is to create a “to do” list together prior to promoting your home on the open market. I would also suggest obtaining a Pest Inspection and Property Inspection. Many times people don’t take the time to do their homework up front and lose potential buyers and equity in the process. Below is an excerpt from an article by Elizabeth Weintraub on “Preparing your house for sale”.
Here’s How:
Disassociate Yourself With Your Home.
De-Personalize.
- Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can’t see past personal artifacts, and you don’t want them to be distracted.
De-Clutter!
- People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven’t used it in over a year, you probably don’t need it.
- Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets.
- Buyers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well.
This means:
- Rent a Storage Unit.
- Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage.
- Remove/Replace Favorite Items.
If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, she won’t want it. Once you tell a buyer she can’t have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.
- Make Minor Repairs.
- Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
- Patch holes in walls.
- Fix leaky faucets.
- Fix doors that don’t close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
- Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls. (Don’t give buyers any reason to remember your home as “the house with the orange bathroom.”)
- Replace burned-out light bulbs.
- If you’ve considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!
Make the House Sparkle!
- Wash windows inside and out.
- Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
- Clean out cobwebs.
- Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
- Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
- Clean out the refrigerator.
- Vacuum daily.
- Wax floors.
- Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
- Bleach dingy grout.
- Replace worn rugs.
- Hang up fresh towels.
- Bathroom towels look great fastened with ribbon and bows.
- Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no.
Scrutinize.
- Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Does the house welcome you?
- Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer.
- Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense.
- Make sure window coverings hang level.
- Tune in to the room’s statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and pizzazz?
- Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You’re almost finished.
- Check Curb Appeal.
- If a buyer won’t get out of her agent’s car because she doesn’t like the exterior of your home, you’ll never get her inside.
- Keep the sidewalks cleared.
- Mow the lawn.
- Paint faded window trim.
- Trim your bushes.
- Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.
