Before placing your home on the market there are some considerations to make. Think back to when you purchased your home. How did it smell? How clean was it? Did this affect your opinion of how the home owners were keeping up the house? Often, a buyer will perceive what is seen on the surface as a reflection of how well you’ve cared for the house while living there. A clean house with well oiled doors and clean windows and cupboards that close is often perceived as a house that has been well cared for. With that in mind read on….
So you’re thinking of placing your home on the market? Be sure to consider these 5 steps before the sign goes in the yard.
1. Curb Appeal: What does your home look like from the outside? Is it such that a buyer would want to come in? The buyers’ first impression is very important to drawing them to the interior of the home. Make sure your exterior is well manicured; cut the grass, trim the shrubs, eliminate weeds from cracks in pavement, scrub down the front door and wash all the windows. This shows the buyer how well you take care of your home.
2. Clutter Be Gone: Clear entryways and hallways making it easy for the buyers to move throughout your home. Clean off counter tops in bathrooms and kitchens and rid them of clutter. Take good inventory of items that can be given away or thrown away – shoving them a closet won’t help – buyers open closets and drawers too! Speaking of closets, organize them – showing ease of use and plenty of space. If you need to, consider renting a storage unit for off-season items.
3. Hammer & Nail: If there are small items around the house that need fixing correct them. A home that shows it’s been well maintained is received positively. If the cabinet door sticks, or there are areas that could use patching, consider doing these before you let the buyers in.
4. K.I.N.: Keep It Neutral! Paint is one of the least expensive ways to improve the appearance of a space. Buyers these days prefer light, neutral colors. While painting a room will not usually yield a higher sale price it can GREATLY assist in your home selling sooner. Dark paints can make a room look smaller and don’t reflect the light as well and stronger colors can inhibit many buyers from envisioning themselves living in the home.
5. Soap & Water: Cleaning can do wonders for the appeal of your home. Clean carpets, shine wood floors, scrub the tile and wipe down the baseboards –and that’s just the floors! Consider cleaning every inch of the bathrooms and replace the shower curtain if necessary. For the kitchen clean the cupboards and the both the stove top and the oven. When it comes to dusting replace your furnace filter first! Then dust away all those dust bunnies. By replacing your filter first you will have less of a likelihood of the dust returning so quickly.
By following these 5 steps you’re well on your way to having your home prepared. Now it’s time to call us and we’ll walk through the home with “buyer eyes” assisting you by pointing out items that a buyer may notice. Small corrections can go a LONG way!