Things to do Before Selling Your Home
Once you have
decided to sell your home, make sure it is ready to be
sold. Buyers pay a premium for a home that is in top-notch, move-in
condition.
First, you have to figure out what needs
to be done to your home. A thorough property inspection up front will
help to identify problem areas. Having the property inspection done and
all the corrections taken care of before you get offers also shows the
buyers that you are conscientious homeowners. This will relieve some of
their anxiety about buying a home.
Also, any buyer will have a property
inspection done before closing the sale. Often, this is when they will
re-negotiate the price because of any problems that may turn up in the
inspection. Having your own inspection done and making all necessary
repairs first removes this opportunity for the buyer to try and
re-negotiate.
Properties in prime condition are a
pleasure for real estate agents to show, so they get shown more often.
The more exposure a property gets, the better the chance of selling it
quicker and for a higher price.
Use the following checklist as your guide
to preparing your home for sale.
Paint: Few
things you will enhance the salability of your house quite as much as
painting the outside. Before painting, scrape or water-blast any
blistered or peeling paint; repair gutters and down spouts; and replace
wood showing dry rot. Pay special attention to wood, trim, gutters, and
wrought iron.
Front Entry: Give special care to this area.
First impressions do make a difference! All woodwork should be freshly
and neatly painted, including the door if necessary. Replace badly worn
or broken doorbells. Polish any door brass. Paint or replace an
unsightly mailbox. Put out a new or clean doormat.
Yard: Mow and trim the lawn. Weed flower beds;
remove or replace dead plants or trees. Water regularly during the
growing season. With desert landscaping, make sure that no underlying
plastic is exposed, that rocks and sand are tidy, and that weeds and
unwanted grass are removed.
Driveway, garage/carport: Clean up grease or oil spots;
remove the soil at least, if not the stains. See that the garage door
opens freely, and if you have an automatic door opener, make sure it's
in good working order.
Air Conditioners: Paint or replace any rusted
exposed metal. Correct improper draining.
Patio: A nice spread of outdoor furniture looks very
appealing. If necessary, borrow some from a friend to enhance the
"showability" of your property.
Swimming pool: Adjust chemicals until the pool sparkles. Hose
dust and cobwebs from filtration equipment. Store chemicals and tools
neatly. Keep pool area tidy and secure.
Windows:
Repair or replace torn or bent screens. As a last resort, remove them
entirely; it's better to have no screens than to have unsightly ones.
Replace any cracked or broken panes.
Also, notice unsightly foliage near
windows. A window framed in ivy can give a warm, homey feeling, but cut
it back if the foliage is restricting the light coming into the rooms.
Drapery rods should be affixed firmly to walls and work smoothly;
draperies should be clean and hang properly.
Doors: Check to see that all doors open and
close freely, including closet doors and patio or sliding glass doors.
Oil any squeaky doors. Tighten the hardware, particularly doorknobs. And
while you're at it, tighten hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets,
too.
Walls: As with the exterior, painting indoors
will pay dividends out of all proportion to the time and effort spent.
Wallpaper should be clean and adhere smoothly to walls.
Floors: Repair or replace missing or damaged pieces of
tile; polish if needed. Repair of a loose stair tread plate or loose
carpeting on a stairway is a top priority.
Carpet: Steam cleaning is the best answer for soiled carpets,
especially when shampooing isn't enough. If pet odors are present, clean
the carpet some time before your home is placed on the market to be sure
the odors have been eliminated.
Lights:
Every light socket in and around the house should have a good bulb of
adequate wattage. Don't overlook those outside and in the garage. Also
remember the utility room, halls, closets, over the kitchen sink, and in
the oven and exhaust hood.
Switches and fixtures: Repair or replace wall
switches, outlets, and light fixtures that don't work. Replace any
broken switch plates.
Appliances: Those that will be sold with the
home should be in good working condition. If specific equipment doesn't
work and you don't intend to repair it, point this out.
Plumbing: Badly chipped or irreversibly stained sinks and
tubs should be re-enameled, patched, or replaced. Leaky or noisy toilets
should be fixed, as well as any dripping faucets.
Sprinkler systems: These should be working properly with no
defective heads.
One of the best
and least expensive ways to improve the "showability" of your
home is to open up as much space as possible. Openness stimulates
positive feelings in buyers. Overstuffed rooms or closets give the
impression of being smaller than they really are. You can't change the
size of what you have, but you can try to present it in a pleasing way.
Closets and storage areas: One of the most
frequently voiced requirements of buyers is for more closet and storage
space. Open up your storage areas by removing items you aren't using.
Counters and cabinets: The same principle used
for closets applies here: overcrowding gives the impression of
inadequacy. This applies to bathrooms and kitchens with the kitchen
being most important. Store infrequently used appliances.
Garage: Buyers will pay a premium for a garage
if they can visualize it being of value to them, but it's hard to sell
when the garage is filled to overflowing. If your garage has become a
two-car attic, move the excess to a mini-warehouse.
Bathrooms:
Few places in the home can get so dirty so fast, and yet
few things will "unsell" a house as fast as dirty bathrooms.
Vanity, sink, faucet hardware, and mirror are the focal points. But
don't forget other potential problems: soap residue in a shower, a moldy
shower curtain, accumulated dirt in the track of a sliding shower door,
soiled or missing grout, soiled toilet bowls, and dirty or battered bath
mats.
Kitchen: Most buyers will inspect the kitchen
carefully, so time invested here is well spent. Clean the stove inside
and out. Replace badly stained or corroded reflector plates under the
heating elements on electronic range tops. Don't neglect the kitchen
exhaust hood; buyers frequently check this area as a clue to general
housekeeping.
Windows: Clean windows are an absolute necessity
if a house is to look its best. Weather permitting, open windows to let
in fresh air.
Water heater and softener: Perhaps because it's
so unusual, a sparkling clean water heater or water softener really
impresses buyers: and it takes so little time and effort.
All this may seem
like a lot of work, and it is, but it means a quicker sale with less
hassle and more money in your pocket. Not to mention the pleasure you
and your family will receive from living in a well-kept home.
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