Preparing Your Property to Get Top Dollar
Prepare Your Home For Sale
Getting top dollar comes down to preparing the home for sale, traffic and properly pricing it. In this writing I'll give you some ideas to prep the house for sale. Properly preparing your home for sale can make the difference between a quick sale at full price, and a home that sits unsold for months… even after several price reductions.
If you were going to sell your car. The first thing you would do is clean the car inside and out. Your house is no different. With a mental picture of a model home in your mind, make an "attack list" of items to be completed on your home. It may be a short or long list, depending on the condition of your home, but keep in mind that all your efforts now will pay off on closing day.
The objective is to make your home appear well maintained, spacious, organized and clean. Many factors such as how light it is, the colors, sounds and smell subtly effect the buyer's impression of your home.
Start by walking out to the middle of the street and take a good, focused look at the overall appearance of the exterior of your home. Take a picture list the items needing attention and make a plan. Curb appeal is critical for a good first impression. If a home is unattractive from the outside, buyers sometimes won 't even bother to see the inside!
What you want is a well-groomed, healthy looking lawn, trees, shrubs, and flower beds. Clean your driveway remove any oil stains. You may want to move any old vehicles, trailers, or boats off the premises to a storage facility. Replace or repair any loose or missing roof shingles or tiles. If needed, replace or repaint the mailbox.
Your front door is a focal point of potential buyers. Make sure it is clean or refinished if necessary. Fix any broken windows or screens. Completely repainting the exterior of your home may be necessary if it is peeling or blistering, but often simply doing the trim, window sashes, shutters, and garage door is sufficient.
Remove any political or other signs. Now do the same to the side and rear yards. Remove all debris, junk, and clutter. Clean and neatly arrange any lawn furniture, barbecues, etc.
Next move to the inside of your home. Clean every room, the walls, door trim, everything . Be especially diligent in the kitchen and bathrooms, which should pass the white glove test. Clean the garage and basement, if you have them. Get rid of any old junk and organize everything else.
If the walls won't come clean you should go ahead and repaint. A fresh coat of white or off-white paint will give you a better return for your dollar than anything else. It will make the house look bigger and lighter, and give your property that "new" smell. New paint makes a huge difference in buyer perception.
Have the carpet cleaned. If it is worn, replace it or consider offering an allowance. This is a fairly big cost, but like paint it makes a huge difference in how the home shows. You should more than make up for the expense with a faster sale at a higher price. Install the highest intensity bulbs allowable in all the light fixtures. This will make the rooms appear larger, brighter, and more cheerful.
Clean all windows and curtains/blinds. Clean out the closets to make them look bigger. Store out of season clothes elsewhere and neatly arrange what's left. Too much clutter will make a home feel small and disorganized. Move out excess furniture, especially worn or outdated items, and take down pictures that hide the walls. Clean off the magnets from the refrigerator, and box up any other clutter-causing nick-knacks. Clean all the heating/cooling system vents, and replace the filters.
Fix or replace all of the little things that you have been meaning to get to. Make sure that everything is working properly (toilets, appliances, doorbell, etc.)If you have lived in your home for a while, by the time you finish with your fix it list you will probably have truckloads of stuff to either sell, give away to charity, or take to the dump. "If in doubt, move it out"!!
If you smoke, it is best to do it outside. A smoky smelling house turns buyers off faster than nuclear waste, even buyers who smoke themselves! If you have already smoked significantly in the house, you will probably need to paint the interior, and have the carpets, drapes, and furniture professionally cleaned.
Pet smells can be a problem. I realize pets are be part of the family, but they can hurt your chances when it's time to sell. If you have pets, you likely have pet odors, even if you don't notice them. Your best bet again is cleaning and keeping your pet out of the way during showings.
Clean, organized homes are always the first to sell!