Every seller wants their home to sell fast and bring top dollar. It is not luck that makes that happen. It is careful planning and knowing how to fix-up your home that will send homebuyers scurrying for their checkbooks. Here is how to prepare your home and turn it into an irresistible and marketable house.
Disassociate Yourself With Your Home: Remember, once you put your home on the market, it becomes a house for sale-a product to be sold. You must make the mental decision to let go of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours. This is an exciting time, and emotions can get the better of you if you do not take the time to make this separation, mentally and physically.
De-Personalize: Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can not see past personal artifacts, and you do not want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they cannot do that if yours are there.
De-Clutter: People collect an amazing quantity of “stuff”. Consider this: If you have not used it in over a year, you probably do not need it. If you do not need it, why not donate it? Remove all books from bookcases, pack up those knickknacks, clean off everything on kitchen counters and put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use. Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.
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 he sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well.
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. Since your bookcases are empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around.
Remove/Replace Favorite Items: If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If the buyer never sees it, he will not want it. Once you tell a buyer they cannot have an item, they may covet it , and it could cause the deal to fall through.
Make Minor Repairs: Replace cracked floor or counter tiles, patch holes in the walls, fix leaky faucets and fix doors that do not close properly and kitchen drawers that jam. Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls. Take a long, hard look at any wallpapering in the house; if it is too bold in color, it will probably not appeal to most buyers.
Meake the House Sparkle: Wash windows inside and out, clean out cobwebs, re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks and polish chrome faucets and mirrors. Consider removing window screens while showing the house for sale; this will allow for lighter rooms and prettier views to the outside. Clean the refrigerator, wax floors and dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures. Hang up fresh towels (bathroom towels look great fastened with ribbon and bows).
Scrutinize: Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Do you want to go inside? 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. Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You are almost finished.
Check Curb Appeal: If the buyers will not get out of their agent’s car because they do not like the exterior of your home, you will never get them inside. Remember to keep the sidewalks cleared, mow the lawn and paint faded trim. For a punch of color, plant yellow flowers or group flower posts together. Use yellow to evoke emotion. Make sure potential buyers can clearly read your house number. If your mail box is unsightly, replace it with a new one.
There will be future posts with more tips for preparing and showing your home.
