Selling Your Home For More Than The Asking Price
Pre-sale Preparations That Will Increase the Value of a Home
Jul 23, 2009
Before a home goes on the market, steps should be taken to ensure that it is appealing to all prospective buyers, and this means stripping it of almost all of the little personal touches that make it home to the present owners. Prospective buyers must be able to walk into a home and envision themselves in the space, and that cannot be done when it is over flowing with someone else`s personal items.
Taking the time to properly repair, prepare and stage your home will not go unnoticed by buyers, and could add considerable value to the home.
Welcome Potential Buyers with Curb Appeal
The outside of your home serves as a kind of welcome mat for buyers, so show them that they are welcome.
- Be sure paint is not peeling. Touching up the paint on trim, railings and fencing can make a huge difference .
- Plant some shrubs and seasonal flowers or install some window boxes filled with colorful plants.
- Re-seed or re-sod any bare patches in the yard.
- Make sure that the grass is cut and any unruly tree branches have been trimmed.
- Keep toys and yard equipment out of site.
- Ad some lighting to walkways.
Clean It Up
Cleaning a home that is going on the market means much more than running the vacuum and wiping off counter tops before prospective buyers show up. It means purging the home of all unnecessary personal belongings and excess clutter, so that the home is "open house ready" at the drop of a hat.
Give the house a proper top to bottom spring cleaning, and pay attention to detail, because the buyers will. Pay special attention to windows, mirrors and light fixtures. The shinier they are, the cleaner things will look.
Clean It Out
Buyers will not only be looking at the condition of the home, the size of the rooms, they will be sure to investigate how much cabinet, storage and closet space there is. Be sure that drawers, closets, pantries and all storage compartments hold only the necessities. Overcrowding makes a space look smaller.
- Remove and pack away out of season clothing, shoes and accessories from bedroom and entrance way closets. The extra room that is created will make it look like it seem much larger.
- Clean out and re-organize kitchen junk drawers. This too will make it seem like there is more space than if they were crammed full of unnecessary stuff.
- If the basement and garage are in disarray be sure to clean it out and stack boxes and bins neatly to show off the empty space.
Repairs and replacements
Small but obvious repairs should never be overlooked when preparing a home for sale. For example, something as small as a broken hinge or missing handle on a cabinet can take away from an otherwise attractive room. These are small things, but they will draw attention.
- Repair any dents, scrapes or chips to walls.
- Replace any missing knobs or drawer pulls. If matching ones cannot be found, it is a good idea to replace them all so that they match.
- Replace any kitchen or bathroom fixtures that have permanent unsightly calcium marks on them.
- Replace any chipped or broken tiles.
- Re-paint , re-surface or replace damaged or outdated cabinets or door fronts.
- Replace any burned out light bulbs.
- Replace outdated or damaged light fixtures or ceiling fans with budget friendly new ones.
Visualizing
Prospective home buyers must be able to visualize themselves living in the home Providing them with an uncluttered, neutral space will with that visualization.
- Repaint so that all rooms are a neutral color.
- Open as many blinds and curtains, to allow as much light as possible into the rooms.
- Remove all but the most necessary pieces of furniture. (cluttered rooms look smaller)
- Empty shelves of books, knickkknacks, family photos, votive candles etc...
- Pack away photos and heirlooms.
- Be sure that all counters / vanity tops are clean and free of personal items and that the kitchen and bathrooms are spotless.
- Make sure that all beds are made and floors are free of toys, laundry etc.
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