GETTING READY TO SELL
As a seller you need to step back from your home and try to look at it as if you were seeing it for the first time. What would a potential buyer think about your house? Do you need to put away some of those family photographs so the buyer can visualize their own family in this house? Does your kitchen have an unusual odor from that spicy dish you cook frequently? These are all things to think about when preparing to sell your home. The goal is to make your home attractive to the majority of buyers and maximize all the homes attributes!
There are several things you can do to make your home more appealing to potential buyers, as well as making it more enjoyable for you while you are living there!
1. Get rid of clutter. Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small decorative items. Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier.
2. Clean out the garage.
3. Be sure kids put away their toys.
4. Buy a new mailbox.
5. Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that let in more light.
6. Buy new towels. Make the bathrooms feel luxurious. Put away those old towels and toothbrushes. When buyers enter your bathroom, they should feel pampered. Consider adding a new shower curtain and fancy guest soaps.
7. Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.
8. Keep everything extra clean. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates. Mop and wax floors. Clean the stove and refrigerator. A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.
9. Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows.
10. Buy a new doormat. Polish your front doorknob and door numbers or buy new doorknobs on your front door.
11. Make minor repairs that can create a bad impression. Small problems such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet may seem trivial, but they'll give buyers the impression that the house isn't well maintained.
12. Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks. Put a pot or two of bright flowers near the entryway.
13. Depersonalize the rooms. Put away family photos, mementos, and distinctive artwork
When preparing for a showing, don't forget to turn on all the lights, even in the daytime. And send your pets to a neighbor or take them outside. If that's not possible, crate them or confine them to one room (a basement or bath), and let the showing agent know where to find them.