We are moving after 13 yrs. The realitor is coming, what is the best things I can do to make my home sellable?
Question:And I have little time! Please help.
Answers:
Start at the drive way and walk through your home room by room and imagine yourself looking at your home as a buyer. Depersonalize the home. Pack up all photos, get rid of small cluttery items. De-clutter the walls and shelves. Also keep beds made for showing purposes. Keep your kitchen clean (sink and countertops). If walls need a coat of paint do it. It is inexpensive and can add value. And one of the best and most inexpensive ways to add value is to replace hardware. Hardware on kitchen cabinets, faucets, door knobs, etc...
Do not leave newspapers and magazines laying around. Keep windows clean of smudges and fingerprints. And place airfresheners in hidden sockets. To keep the home smelling fresh. Nothing too perfumey.
Curb Appeal is also highly important. No trash, lawn or otherwise, left out. Throw some mulch in the flower beds, put some inexpensive showy flowers at your walkway.
Any other suggestions can be given by your agent.
Good Luck to you.
just make sure it is tidy. no clutter.
and bake cookies. or put a cookie in the microwave to heat it. this covers any smells.
good luck.
REMOVE ALL CLUTTER!
Put away anything personal. Clean everything. Open the windows to clean out any odors & let light in.
Clean out all the clutter you have collected for thirteen years. Be brutally honest and get rid of all the things you haven't used and never intend to use. Old toys, old clothes, any other stuff you don't use. Clean the house, thoroughly.
Mow the yard. Put some flowers in pots near the entrance of the house. Clean the windows.
Paint wherever a fresh coat of paint is obviously needed.
The kitchen and bathroom are big selling points. If you don't have time to do much, spruce up the rooms a little.
In the bathroom: Scrub the tub, or put in a bath fitter. You may want to replace your toilet lid and make sure there are no scuffs on it. There is nothing worse than a dingy bathroom when you are trying to sell. You could also slap on a fresh coat of paint, if it looks like it may need it.
In the kitchen: Not much you can do in here, if you don't have a lot of time. I recommend that you wax the floor (if the flooring uses wax), again, fresh coat of paint is a good idea. Do anything to make it feel like a new home.
It's amazing what paint can do, really.
Clean, paint the walls, shampoo the carpets and vacuum. A clean home is a sellable home.
Stage your house. Which means getting rid of all personal things. Refinish floors. Clean carpets, especially if you have pets. Fresh paint. I recommend hiring a Stager who will guide you properly. I spent about 10,000 to stage my house and got %0K over the asking price. That's Calif. and stagers are very important here.
Curb Appeal is said to get attention on the outside in order to get the buyer inside! So spruce up the outside espically your entry. Then inside fresh paint helps, something neutral tho,as new buyers may be turned off with stark colors. Keep inside roomy, remove little knicknacks, that take up space. Make rooms look spacious. They say when a buyer is coming to see home you should have a pleasant odor in home,some say baking (cookies etc) helps give home a warm/cozy atmosphere.
Be careful about baking cookies. Most people viewing a house will know this is an old trick to cover up odors. If they don't, there realtor will tell them.
Why does your house smell in the first place?
oh boy! get ready...first; you will need to reduce your stuff so the house looks more open and less cluttered as well as more impersonal. Soiled carpets, dirty walls all should be taken care of and most important: smell! make your house smell wonderful!
good luck!
First make sure that the yard looks good. No pine cones in the yard, stuff like that. Then walk through your house, cleaning everything that you think they might see. And dont throw stuff into closets. People look there to see how much storage is available. Instead of the cookie idea, use frebreeze. It will make the house smell fresh. Cookies just make you hungry.
Paint, light neutral colors. Its HUGE bang for the buck. 20 dollar home makeover.
Landscaping, clean uncluttered yard is great curbapeal.
Clean the house. Top to bottom. Get serious about it. It's big money for you if you can really really clean it. A maid service will do a detail cleaning for around $300. It can mean $1000's to you on the sale.
Get rid of all the clutter first. Try to clean out closets and get rid of things that would make the house look smaller. A thorough cleaning will make a good impression
How do people want their new house to feel? You have to make it clean, warm, and welcoming. For some reason, buyers are influenced by YOUR stuff, even though it's going with you. If you have three pieces of furniture in a row, and can't figure out what's wrong, remove the middle piece and see if you don't love the new spacious look! Smaller furniture makes a room look bigger. If need be, store some furniture away, and pack up a few boxes of trinkets. Make ensembles on top of tables - - lit candles and lots of lighting is a huge plus. Don't line up junk. Take down outdated things from the wall, and make sure you leave lots of space between everything.
**Highlight the focal point of the room with a huge centerpiece. If your windows are just fabulous, draw the potential buyer's eye to it. Make sure it gets noticed.
*picture yourself walking into your own house looking to buy - what would you want to see (or not see?)
One time a realtor told me many of the same things others are saying - get rid of clutter, personal items. Also, turn all the lights on, even your accent lights. A nice tip was to rub a cut lemon around in your sink. It makes the kitchen smell really clean and nice. Don't forget about your closets - people will certainly be looking in them. Straighten them up and make them look roomier. If you can take anything out, temporarily store it if you have to. If your paint looks shabby (inside), spend the little money it takes to paint and brighten everything up. Make sure your yard looks its' best too. First impressions count. Finally, make a list of all the improvements you have made over the years to your home, and list the approximate date the improvements were made. We did this when we sold our first home, and it made a big difference to the buyer. Write down everything you can remember that you have done, even if it's just "installed new storm door - 2003". Good luck.!!
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