First Impressions Are Important!
The exterior of your home sets the tone on how buyers will view the interior, so:
- Make sure your front entrance is clean and inviting.
- Paint or replace your front door if it’s faded or worn.
- Add some paint to shutters, trim and any other outside features showing signs of wear.
Accentuate the Positive.
How we live in a home and how we sell a home are often two different things. Keep windows and floors clean.
- Repaint scarred or dirty walls in a neutral color.
- Steam clean carpeting or replace it, if necessary.
- Repair loose knobs, sticking doors and windows, warped cabinet drawers, broken light switches and other minor flaws.
- Check and repair caulking in bathtubs and showers.
Try to see your home with a fresh perspective and arrange each room to bring out its best attributes, including:
- Open curtains to let the light in during the showing.
- Remove all clutter from your attic, basement and closets to better display spacious rooms.
- Arrange all your rooms neatly and remove excess furniture. Keep fresh, clean towels in the bathroom. Use candles or air fresheners to make the room smell pleasant.
Put Your Home In The Best Possible Light
Inside:
- Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house.
- Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops. If it hasn’t been used in the last month…put it away!
- Clear refrigerator fronts of messages, pictures, etc.
- In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from countertops, tubs, showers and toilet tops. Coordinate towels to one or two colors only.
- Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary. Many times, we have too much furniture in a room. When it comes to selling, we need to thin out as much as possible to make rooms appear larger.
- Take down or rearrange certain pictures or object on walls. Patch and paint if necessary.
- Review the house inside room by room. Paint any room needing paint, clean carpets or drapes that need it, clean windows.
- Leave on certain lights during the day. During “showings” turn on all lights and lamps.
- Lockbox–#1 Importance: “If we don’t have it, they won’t show it.”
Outside:
- Trim landscaping to reveal architectural detail (bottom of windows, etc.).
- Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc.
- Check gutters and/or roof for dry rot. Make sure they are swept and cleaned.
- Look at all plants…prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows.
- Weed all planting areas. Remove any dead plants or shrubs.
- Clear patios or decks of all small items, such as small planters, flowerpots, charcoal, barbecues, toys, etc. (Put them in the garage).
- Check paint condition of the house-especially the front door and trim. “Curb appeal really works!”
In General
Try to look at your house “through the buyer’s eyes” as though you’ve never seen it or been there before. Any time or money spent on these items will bring you back more money in return, and hopefully a faster sale.