Top 10 Ways To Prepare your Home To Be Listed For Sale

How would you like to lose $10,000 or $15,000 on the sales price of your home before the first person ever sees it?  Yeah, probably not the way you wanted to start the sales process at all.

It happens every day in cities across the country. Someone puts their house on the market in a woefully inadequate state.  Oh sure they cleared off a counter top, or finally threw away the mountain of clothes in the laundry room that no one wears or claims to be theirs anymore but that was it. Well, okay you did vacuum the living room.  Not enough! Not even close!

Don’t think for one minute that NOT preparing does not matter and “buyers will look past it” or “You’ll get to it next weekend”.  Nope, the reality is that you just threw away 10K perhaps more.  In fact I would suggest that the most expensive cleaning service in town is a bargain compared to losing that much money just because you don’t want to clean.

Your local agent should be able to walk through the house with you and tell you frankly what needs to be done.  We offer all our sellers a 26 point Maximum Value Audit free of charge.  A written report that will detail exactly what needs to be done to maximize the value in your home. Sometimes it is not cleaning it is small repair and replacement items.

Examples of the items I have helped sellers with over the years include: tarnished, dull and worn out

looking door knobs – a small item but one of the first things buyers saw on an impressive set of double doors.  A secondary bedroom with a bad carpet stain, that we were able to find a remnant for at $139 this gave the room a new and fresh appearance. Another time we simply stained the boring gray concrete around a pool to match the existing wall on the property-  it really popped and we sold it to the first buyer. Don’t get carried away with unnecessary new weekend projects just stay focused on existing issues with the home as is.

1)      A deep clean. Corners, windows, tops of ceiling fan blades, grout and all ledges.     

2)      You are moving  so throw away things you aren’t going to move – do it now

3)      Box up items that you won’t use for the next three months (seasonal for example)

4)      Clean the screens on the windows or take them off if appropriate

5)      Straighten the garage – but it is okay to stack boxes in there you are moving

6)      Replace worn out comforters, doormats, decorative towels, shower curtains etc.

7)      De-clutter all surfaces especially baths and kitchens (less is more)

8)      Replace all light bulbs –remove most if not all family photos

9)      Touch up paint as needed – corners doors – heavy traffic areas

10)   Remove any dead landscape replace with simple plants or ground cover and mow lawn

While these items may seem obvious or small they are not. They will help protect the equity you have built up in your home. Buyers will discount for a poorly maintained home. Homes that do not show well do not sell quickly. This is all in your financial best interest.

If your home has significant deferred maintenance look for our upcoming article about how to deal with those issues when you don't have the funds to do so.

For more helpful home ownership, buying and selling tips please use the search feature on this blog in the right hand column or contact us on our website at www.PSagent.com