How to prepare your house for sale
by Marilyn Newman
– The first step to preparing a home for sale is to let go of your emotional attachment to it.
Prepping and staging a house — Every seller wants her home to sell fast and bring top dollar. Does that sound good to you? Well, it’s not luck that makes that happen. It’s careful planning and knowing how to professionally spruce up your home that will send home buyers scurrying for their checkbooks. Here is how to prepare a house and turn it into an irresistible and marketable home.
1) Disassociate yourself with your home. Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners! People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven’t used it in over a year, you probably don’t need it. If you don’t need it, why not donate it? There are a lot of people that will be really happy to come and collect your hand-offs.
2) 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 she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well. This means:
3) 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 a buyer never sees it, she won’t want it. Once you tell a buyer she can’t have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.
4) Make minor repairs; replace cracked floor or counter tile, patch holes in walls, fix leaky faucets, fix doors that don’t close properly and kitchen drawers that jam, consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls, replace burned-out light bulbs, if you’ve considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!
5) Make the house sparkle! Wash windows inside and out; rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior; clean out cobwebs; re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks; polish chrome faucets and mirrors; clean out the refrigerator; wax the floors; dust the furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures; bleach dingy grout; hang up fresh towels fastened with ribbon and bows; clean and air any musty smelling areas–odors are a no-no.
6) 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.
7) Keep the sidewalks cleared. Plant yellow flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow evokes a buying emotion. Marigolds are inexpensive and look beautiful!
All these minor touches can make the difference in selling your house in the shortest period of time!
Good luck!