Getting Your Home Ready To Sell

Here are a few helpful tips to make your home stand out among the competition. Buyers search for homes online first and there are so many to choose from. What will make your home stand out? Lot’s of great photos!

Exterior

Remember the 60-second rule: that’s all the time you have to create a good first impression!

Mow the lawn, rake leaves, trim trees and shrubs that keep light out of the house and remove dead plants. Pick up tools, garbage cans, hoses, toys, and building materials and store them neatly in a storage area. Replace broken or missing roof shingles and straighten and clean the gutters and downspout. Clean windows and replace torn screens.

Painting your house helps improve curb appeal more than any other fix-up! If you decide against painting the entire house, consider painting the front door, window frames and shutters. Seal or resurface the driveway and repair broken steps and walkways. Paint or replace your mailbox and post.

Dress up the front yard with some simple landscaping. It’s amazing what a few simple plants and flowers can do!

There is no such thing as too clean

Step back for a moment and look at your home as if you were seeing it for the first time. Each room should be clean, dusted and uncluttered.

Steam clean the carpets and floors. Wash walls, windows and light fixtures and replace bulbs with maximum wattage the fixture allows. In the event that you feel a project is better left to a professional, ask me to recommend a cleaning service and handyman.

Entryway

Use bright light bulbs in the foyer and throughout the house. Fill the house with a pleasant aroma, such as berries in the summer or cinnamon in the winter.

Living Room

Replace the carpet if it’s worn. It costs money, but you may find that you will more than recoup that cost when the home sells. Patch cracks and nail holes in the walls, and repaint walls in neutral colors, such as white or ivory. WD40 any sticking or squeaking doors. Open up curtains and let the sun shine in.

Add lamps and lighting if the house is dark.

Furniture

Rearrange, or remove furniture to make your rooms look more spacious. Too much furniture and too many nick-knacks make rooms look cluttered and small.

No more than three decorative items per surface, so pack the rest away… after all you’ll be moving soon!

Kitchen and Baths

These rooms should sparkle! I’m talking the Q-tip test. Clear off counters, and clean all appliances and fixtures. Scrub the floors and walls. Re-caulk tubs and showers. Clean these rooms thoroughly, and be sure they smell fresh. during showing please keep toilet seats down.

Candles and fresh flowers go a long way.

Closets

Take those things to Goodwill that you’ll have to discard anyway when you move. Organize shelves and straighten shoes. Be sure that sliding doors work smoothly and knobs on drawers are secure.

Utility Room

Clean the washer, dryer and water heater. When you list with me, I put every listing under a complimentary home warranty program for the life of the listing. As the seller, it’s great to offer a one year home warranty to a new buyer, but this can always be negotiable at time of offer.

If you do choose to offer a home warranty, there are signs to assure potential buyers of home warranty coverage.

Light and Bright

Do everything you can to brighten the interior. Replace wallpaper with white or off-white paint, and repaint shabby or dark walls. Open the blinds, and replace broken windows and window seals. Always keep a comfortable temperature inside the house, even if you are away for an extended period.