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Tips For Preparing Your Home For
Sale
Look at your home objectively. Pretend you are seeing it for the first time, through a buyer’s eyes. How your home looks and feels when you are living in it is not necessarily how your home should look in order to be attractive to buyers so they will “fall in love” and buy it! Call or email me for recommendations on how to stage the property for presentation to prospective buyers. That is part of my expertise. I will be happy to walk through your home with you and help you “set the stage.”
Put your buyer hat on! Remember that if you are going to be looking for a good deal on your next home because of the market, then so is the buyer of your home! The key is to price it right which is based on what the buyers out there are willing to pay. I can help you do this. Are you willing to listen and go for it?
Tidy up the grounds, porches and garage. Keep the lawn trimmed and edged. Make sure that your yard is clean. Rake up those Autumn leaves and send them away! First impressions count!
Your front door adds to that first impression - be sure it is scrubbed or repainted if necessary.
Wash windows and clean/dust window coverings.
If any decorating or painting is needed (especially in the kitchen), do it now! Twenty dollars worth of paint will make a much larger difference in the sales price.
Bathrooms help sell homes. Make this room sparkle. Paint it, scrub it, caulk it. Update it.
Illumination is like a welcome sign. Replace bulbs and turn on the lights. If the home looks dark and dreary, most buyers will not stay long to look, because they can't SEE anything!!
Wash dishes, make beds, put away clothes and straighten up. Clean up and put away the “clutter” or discard or donate it. If it's overwhelming and you don't know where or how to start, contact me for help ideas.
Keep pets out of the way during showings – many people are allergic. Be absolutely certain that any pet smells are completely absent. Wash Fidos bedding and clean Garfields' litter box every day for example.
If you smoke, paint the interior of the house, clean the carpets or replace them if necessary and start smoking outside the house. Your clothes will hold the odor too, so air them out by putting them outside or in the dryer for a few cycles before hanging in closets. Many people are allergic.
Leave the showing to the salesperson. The salesperson knows the buyer’s requirements and can best emphasize the features of your home. Leave the house during a showing.
Don’t discuss anything about the sale with a potential customer. Let your agent discuss price, terms, possession and other items concerning the sale. Your agent is qualified to bring negotiations to a favorable conclusion. Once you have a contract, don't discuss with friends until you have a successful closing. If the contract doesn't close, one of your friends may end up being a potential buyer and you don't want them to have too much information for negotiation purposes.
Never apologize for appearance, it either distracts or accentuates the problem.
Pack away valuables, store extra furniture, knick-knacks, guns and medicines.
Remember, my goal is to help you sell your home for the most amount of money,in the shortest period of time, with the least amount of inconvenience to you. We only have one chance to make that good first impression!
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