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

Prepping Your Home For Sale

Preparing Your Home To Sell Properly Can Be The Best Investment You Make.

First impressions make a significant impact on a buyer's decision-making process!

Once your home goes on the market, it becomes a product for sale.  Home Styling or Staging simply allows you to highlight the best of your home (product) and de-emphasize its flaws. It's not about decorating or actually turning your home into a model but ALL  about appealing to the broadest possible range of prospective buyers. The goal is to eliminate the obstacles and to  make people feel like they could actually live there. Much of this is simply done if you just  "neutralize" the whole house.

Most of the following things you can do for little or no expense but will put a home in prime showing shape. Remember how you felt that last time you went to a store that was poorly run and the merchandise poorly displayed. You probably left without buying anything and probably vowed to never return. Don't let buyers feel that way about your home! Even if it is not the perfect fit for a particular buyer leave them with a good impression! They may know someone else ready to buy.

MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU ARE READY TO SELL AND MOVE:

Clear out closets and clutter— give away or pack up toys, linens, and nick knacks anything and everything you will not be using in the next three months is a perfect candidate!  De-personalize the home by removing photos, mementos, and all worn and dated items. Is there a wall or a spot or two where some touch up paint could really help? Did you let one of the kids paint their room purple? Now is the time to go back to basic off white.  Storage boxes neatly tucked away in a garage or basement look like you mean business and help save you time when you really do move.

LOOK AT YOUR HOUSE LIKE A BUYER:

Go out to the curb and walk back into your home. Look for things that are not up to par.  Does the bush under the window need a trim?  Is the doorknob loose? Does it need to be polished? Focus most on the most visible and popular areas of the home first—the entry, kitchen, living room, master bedroom, and family room or den.

NEED SOME IDEAS?

Use plants in colorful pots or some baskets and dried arrangements  to fill in empty spaces,  Set the dining room table with attractive linens, dishes, and stemware,  look at  home and garden catalogs for little details on primping up the home. Arrange just a few books on the book shelf, try angling some pieces of furniture slightly and make sure  furniture is about 4 inches to 6 inches from the wall.  Just don't lose sight of the fact that you are going for the generic, neutral look and .....Less is so much More!

When you are serious about selling you must:

1-Trim trees, prune shrubs, and make sure the lawn is mowed and watered regularly.
2-Hire a professional service to clean the home, including the carpets and the windows.
3-Use as much natural light as possible. Leave lamps on in dark rooms or corners.
4-Make  all functional repairs—fix dripping faucets, sticking doors, and broken fence rails.

Increase your Net

Even if you do nothing else the 4 things listed above will make you money.  Time and again I have seen buyers fall in love with a property that actually did not exactly match their needs. SO why did they love it and buy it?  Because it was clean light and bright and appeared well cared for. Huge pluses for any buyer!

Selling your home is like selling any product. You want to maximize the appeal of that product. You can spend a lot of money but you do not have to. However, you CAN and WILL maximize your profit  if you follow the four MUST do's listed above.

A FREE OFFER FOR YOU:

The PSAGENT team is happy to provide any home seller, in our area,  with our complimentary 26 point home value inspection. We will walk thru your property, prepare a written report of our suggestions to prepare your home for sale and leave it with you. No pressure no obligation.  We are happy to help. Take the guess work out of your sale.

Call us at 760-408-5300 or email us at michael@psagent.com to schedule your appointment today.

Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, Desert Hot Springs  are our service areas.