You are here: Home > Articles > For Sellers > Preparing Your Home for Sale

Preparing Your Home for Sale

Here are some effective tips for creating an atmosphere that will charm buyers and make them want to buy your home. Youll never get a second chance to make a first impression. Thus, first impressions are essential in getting your property SOLD! Follow these suggestions and you will create a competitive edge that may help you sell your home more quickly.

Absolute Basics

• Drive-Up (Curb) Appeal Trim trees and shrubs, clean out flower beds and invest in a few flats of seasonal flowers.
  
• Make sure the doorbell works, wash the mailbox, sweep the porch, and get an attractive mat for people to wipe their feet.
• Remove clutter from the yard.
• Cut and edge the grass.
• Paint, fix, or wash railings, steps, storm window screens and the front door.
• Clean out gutters; repair gutters and downspouts, if necessary.
• Air out the home.
• Most people are turned off by even the smallest odor. They must be eliminated, especially those created by dogs and cats, soiled diapers and/or cigarettes. Change the litter box daily! Wash all the windows, inside and out. If the carpets have not been cleaned in more than a year, now is the time to have them cleaned. Bare floors should be waxed or polished.
• Place bright light bulbs in every light socket. Buyers like bright and cheery.
• Clean closets, cabinets and drawers. Closets should look like they have enough room to hold additional items. (Half-empty is the impression that will make buyers think "how roomy!") Get everything off the floor in closets. If shelves are piled to the ceiling, you may need to have a garage sale or place some things you only use seasonally in a storage unit. Look at each room as if you were a stranger. Too much furniture causes a room to "shrink." Select pieces that look the best and store the rest. Keep the kitchen sparkling clean. This includes all appliances. Keep cupboards neat with room to spare and make sure the floors gleam.
• Bathtubs, showers and sinks should be freshly caulked. Grout should be clean and in good condition. Fix any leaking faucets or traps. Repair any faulty light switches. Remove clutter from all hallways and stairs. Oil door hinges, and tighten door knobs and cabinet pulls.
• Straighten up the garage. Paint, wash, and fix garage doors and windows. Give the home an overall cleaning.

A few more suggestions

• If you have limited counter space in the kitchen or bath, put all unnecessary items away. (What looks "empty" to you will seem "spacious" to a buyer.)
• Keep childrens toys out of the front yard, on sidewalks and the front porch.
• Clean the ashes out of all wood-burning fireplaces. Make sure the pull-down staircase is working property and that there is a working light in the attic.

Are you willing to go the extra mile?

• If you really want to add flair to your home, consider changing dated wallpaper in the entry, kitchen or bathrooms and replacing outdated light fixtures for more modern ones.
• Apply fresh paint on the interior and/or exterior, if needed.
• New appliances in the kitchen can be an exciting feature that can make the difference between a buyer and one who chooses another home. Before a buyer arrives to look at your home...
• Turn on all inside lights, even during the day. At night, turn on outside lights.
• Open all window treatments.
• Turn on soft music; turn off the TV and computer games.
• Keep the heat at 68 degrees F.
• Place money, other valuables and prescriptions out of sight.
• Open all interior doors, except closets.
• In the fall and winter months, light a fire in the fireplace whenever possible.
• Keep the home comfortable in the summer months, with windows open.
• Keep pets out of the way and out of the house if at all possible. Many people have pet allergies; some feel uncomfortable around animals.
• Keep good scents in the home, such as potpourri, scented candles or simmering pots. If you enjoy baking bread, bake a loaf and have it on the stove, cooling. The scent of freshly baked bread reminds people of "home" and will help them remember your property. When you leave the house in the morning or during the day, leave it as if you expect it to be shown in your absence. This may happen!

Showing your home...

If at all possible, leave your home during showings. Buyers will stay longer and feel more comfortable when you are not at home. If it is not practical or convenient for you to leave.

Let the agent show and sell your home.

Dont follow the buyer through the home (leave them alone to really look and inspect and imagine themselves living there).

If you have children, gather them in a specially designated area or around the television with low volume. Staging a home for showing is not the same as living in a home. I will be happy to work with you to suggest how best to stage your home for sale. One child put it succinctly: "when you sell your home, no more sleeping in late!" Remember, too, that the quicker it sells, the sooner you can go back to living there and planning your move to your next home!

Printable version