How to Prepare your HOUSE
for SALE
Hooking that buyer!
Before you put your house on the market you need to prepare it for sale. The most activity from buyers will occur when you first put that sign in your front yard. Do not make the mistake and put that sign out until your house in the best possible shape. For Homework before you begin, take a drive to a couple new developments and look at 4-6 model homes. Pay attention to how they are decorated. You will find that they have very little furniture which accentuates spaciousness. By reducing furniture you give the illusion that the rooms are much bigger than they may actually be.
Make special note: NO CLUTTER. Rooms are very simple. Nothing is personalized. Counters and surfaces are clear and have only a few decorative pieces on them. This is the look you want to achieve in your house.
Try to read everything.
I will try to keep it simple and short. Now let us begin…
Taking An Objective Look at Your House
The buyer certainly will . . .
The first task is to step back and become objective. This house is no longer your home but a house to be sold. Think of it as a commodity to sell. It is very important that you let go of any emotional attachment you have to this structure that was once your home. Now look at it as if you were buying it again. What would you change? What would you fix?
Begin outside at the street and take a hard long look at the house and yard.
How does it measure up, is it in good repair?
How does it compare to the neighbors?
Many sellers forget or under estimate the value of curb appeal, but more and more shows such as those on HGTV are proving that curb appeal makes a big difference in the number of potential buyers who decide to call for that appointment to see the inside of your house. Think about it. If the front yard and front of your house are in dis-repair, dirty or unkempt why on earth should they think the inside would be in good shape so they decide right there by your sign to pass your house up and go on to the next house on their list. You didn’t even have a chance. So it is very important that you start right there in your own driveway. You are going to take a look at the exterior of the house and then go and check the inside room by room making notes as what needs to be done. Basically your are inspecting your house to see if it will need the following:
Need repair, need paint, need cleaning, need de-cluttering, need staging. After you write down what needs to be done the next step will be getting it done before you put that sign in your front yard. I found a couple web sites that have some good information on how to make reapairs
home-builders-tips This site is dedicated to people building their own homes but I found it to contain a lot of valuable diy instructions for the repairs that come up most often when you are selling your own home.
Standing right there at the end of your driveway Be objective and look at the front of your house.
Check out that Yard:
- Is the lawn mowed, are the flower beds kept up, are the bushes trimmed or have they overgrown for their space.
- How’s that driveway and walkway do they need any refurbishment. Add some annuals to the front porch to add color and the feeling of home.
Check the roof out:
- Are there any broken shingles?
- Do you have gutters and are they in good repair and clean?
Check the Front Porch:
- Are the railings in good repair, clean or freshly painted? How is the floor. A good Scrubbing goes a long way. If you need to paint use a gloss or semi-gloss. Do the same thing for back porch or deck.
- Make sure the back yard is free of toys and clutter.
Check the Doors:
- The Doors are very important, especially the Front Door and usually need to be repainted. Also check out the door knob And knocker if there is one, clean or replace it and if your mailbox is next to the Door make sure it is in good repair.
- Check the doorbell and make Sure it works. If itdoesn’t fix it or replace it.
- Do the same thing for the garage door. Make sure all the doors are in excellent shape because the buyer is going to see these doors up close and personal as he/she enters or leaves the house. It’s hands on so the first impression rests here on the entryway as to what they can expect inside.
IMPORTANT: This is not the time to make major
landscaping plans. The goal here is to tidy up and
only make minor improvements.
Remember,
This is not your home this is a house for sale. Visualize that house in a box. You just want to make the yard tidy and inviting to get that buyer inside to take a look and buy your house.
Keep your expenditures low.
You are moving!
Moving inside the house, you will go room by room and do the same thing you did outside.
Look objectively at each room. Start in the bedrooms as they are pretty easy and work your way to the Kitchen. Also I always suggest work from the walls to the center of the room including the ceiling that way you don’t miss anything. Look for any repairs that are needed like broken blinds, cracked windows, bad places on the wall. Does it need to be painted? Light bulbs don’t forget replacing burnt out light bulbs. Note what you find on your checklist.
Make Minor Repairs Make MORE $$$$ MONEY!
- Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
- Patch holes in walls.
- Fix leaky faucets.
- Fix doors that don't close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
- Fix any leaks and paint damaged drywall.
- Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if your kids have painted their walls an exotic color.
- Replace any missing hardware on cabinets or windows.
- Fix a running toilet.
- Replace any broken switch plates or socket plates.
(Don't give buyers any reason to remember your home as "the house with the orange bathroom.")
- Replace burned-out light bulbs.
- If you've considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!
Don't dispair if you need to make repairs yourself there are a lot of resources out there to help you to do it and do it right. It is not that hard working on your house when you have the right tools and the right instructions on how to make those needed repairs. Certainly there may be things you will have to hire a professional to repair for you but there are many things you can tackle on your own. Home Depot and Lowes are a great place to start. Both not only have the materials you will need to make your repairs but they offer classes to teach you how to do the reapirs taught by experienced professionals.
Want step by step help with how to make those repairs? Click here REPAIRS
Get a head start on your MOVE!
Rent a Storage Unit!
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Look at the furnishings. Are there too many pieces of furniture in the room does it feel small. If it feels small note pieces of furniture you can move out and store. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table it will make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose with plenty of room to move around. You don't want buyers scratching their heads and saying, "What is this room used for? Or This room is so small!"
Now look at personal possessions, can many of these be pre-packed for the move and stored. Honestly the more you have stored and out of the house the better buyers can see your house. You must always Think MINIMALIST. You’re going to be moving anyway so anything you can pre-pack and store will just make moving after the sale that much easier.
Win! Win!
Eliminate clutter Be ruthless box up as much as you can. Personal stuff especially important papers, jewelry, special items should be packed up now. There will be strangers in your house looking in cabinets, looking in drawers, closets Make sure your valuable stuff is not accessible.
All the experts say remove family photos, large pieces of art and any other distracting décor. Collections should absolutely be packed up.
Write everything on an inventory sheet so you know it is in storage and can get to it easily. Many storage options allow you access with just 24 hour notice.
Quick tip:
When storing or moving, I always use those storage boxes that they deliver to your house. I have used the ones called PODS which are absolutely fantastic. There are other companies I just like PODS.I use them all the time. They bring this Storage Box on a flat bed to your house and place it wherever you want them too and you load it at your leisure. You can keep it on your property or they will store it in their climate controlled facility. It’s very cost effective and when you are ready to move they deliver it to your new home. I am reading more and more about Smart Box however I have never used them but you might consider giving them a try.
CAUTION It is ok to have it at the house during the prep time but unless it is well hidden from view it is better to let them take it and store it for you during the marketing period for your home. A great bonus is that they will deliver it to your new home for a fee. Here are a few web links of these companies for you. I myself have only used PODS and they are very good and you can access your stuff by giving them 24 hour notice so if something gets in the pod and you need it later you can get to it. This is when your checklist is handy.
At this point you should be formulating your plan for getting all the repairs done, getting that excess furniture stored and pre-packing any unnecessary family items for storage.
Let’s recap what needs to be done?
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 rooms look larger (you can store extra furniture, remember do not think of how the room works for living there you are staging for a buyer.)
Make sure window coverings hang level.
Tune in to the room's feel and its affect on you. Does it have impact and pizzazz?
Does it look like nobody lives in this house? If your answer is yes then You are almost finished.
Once the house is de-cluttered and the repairs are done it is time for a complete cleaning.
Don’t overlook anything you will be amazed how much a little elbow grease now will make you in $$$$ from your sale.
When buyers are looking at a house they judge the owners by the condition of the house. If it is in good repair and clean they feel the owners took very good care of this house and it would be a good investment. If it is in bad repair and dirty they feel the owners did not care about this house and that means trouble down the road with hidden problems and big repairs.
It’s psychology folks. So make sure your house is ready to be inspected by the buyer.
This includes closets and cabinets, buyers look everywhere there pretense is they are assessing available storage. And they are but they are also getting a sense of how this house works for you. Is it easy to live in? Clutter means the house is not user friendly, that it is too small to live with any amount of belongings and this is an ABOSLUTE turn off to buyers.
Now, I know I repeat Stuff over and over on this web site giving you different ways to arrive at the same place a clean, repaired, inviting house to sell.
It may seem like a lot of work when you first look at it but for what I am asking you to do will be well rewarded. Not only will you be selling your house yourself and paying yourself the commission, but by following this plan you should also see more money coming your way in the price and terms of the contract that buyer is going to offer. And even if you use a Realtor they would ask you to do these things too and then you would have to pay them the commission and you still did all the hard work to get the house in tip top condition!
Now that the house is de-cluttered, all the extra furniture is put into storage or donated, Your personal belongings are packed away and safe, and all the repairs have been completed including painting, you are now ready to clean and stage your house. for quick links to these pages on this site just click below:
Get some extra tips for getting your house ready to show to potential buyers:
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