Dress Your Home for Success
Positive first impressions of a prospective home buyer mean so much to the successful sale of your home that making a small effort to ensure a good impression can pay off with big returns. This checklist covers many of the little things that set a good example, from the outside ... in.
Following these tips will help sell your home faster and for more money.
Exterior
- Keep lawns and hedges neatly trimmed, weed flowerbeds.
- Clean out your garage or carport to show off its full size. Have a Garage Sale.
- Clean the outside windows, repair any broken panes.
- Oil all the gate hinges and latches; make any fence repairs required.
- Remove dead limbs and branches from trees — especially evergreens.
- Check all outside lights are working; house numbers are clean and easy to read. Touch up exterior paint as required, especially street-side.
- Keep walkways and exterior stairs clean of leaves, snow, etc.
- Clean roof gutters to avoid "waterfalls" on rainy days.
- Don't let anything obstruct the street view of your "For Sale" sign.
Interior
- Wash down or paint the entry walls to continue the good first impression. Repair drawers and cupboard doors that squeak, stick or don't close.
- Free up hard-to-open windows and doors — especially closet doors.
- Repair leaky faucets or toilets that run continuously.
- Replace loose tiles, re-grout if needed, and scrub away any mildew.
- You are going to move anyway, so start now to remove all clutter from every room and get rid of or store anything you can live without; pay particular attention to the basement — you will be amazed at how much larger the rooms all look!
- Give the kitchen a good top-to-bottom scrub, to make the walls, cabinets, appliances, counters and sinks shine.
- Make sure the closets are clear of everything except clothes that are neatly hung or folded to best show the size of the closets.
- Lighting is important! Use appropriate bulb wattage to lighten dark areas.
Showings
- Open all drapes and curtains to let the maximum natural light in — make sure the windows are all clean.
- Avoid cooking a meal that might cause a lingering odour; let lots of fresh air in.
- Put large pets outside and keep all pets away from prospects; try to eliminate any pet odours.
- Ideally, leave the house while it is being shown. If this is not possible, then settle the children quietly in one room. Let the REALTOR® do the talking — and walking; unless asked by the REALTOR® do not join the tour of your home.
- Above all, do not discuss the price. Give brief, polite answers to direct questions but let your REALTOR® representative negotiate the sale.
Other things to Consider
- Home Improvement Projects
— Fix-it and profit
- Renovating your Home
— Maximizing Your Renovation Dollars
- Feng Shui
— Fad or selling tool?
- Gardening Ideas
— How to spruce up your gardens.
- Show Curb Appeal
— Preventative Maintenance Saves Money.
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Copyright © 2003-2008 Jeffery Shields, Qualicum Beach BC
Choose Jeff Shields, your RE/MAX REALTOR, for Qualicum real estate, Oceanside BC commercial properties, Qualicum Beach luxury homes, Parksville waterfront estates, Errington mobile homes, mid-island Vancouver Island listings, French Creek townhomes, Coombs real estate agent in British Columbia.
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This file last modified Thursday, 27-Mar-2008 17:07:37 CDT
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