Getting Your Home Ready To Sell even in a market that is low on inventory is one of the most important things you can do!! I drive clients crazy with a “laundry list” of homework to get their house ready. I LOOK at houses all day long and I know what buyers see and most importantly SAY! Think how impressed your agent will be when he comes to do his evaluation of your home!! Getting Your Home Ready to Sell (1) CURB APPEAL! Think about when a really nice looking man or woman walk by you – you look at them and appreciate how they look right? Don’t lie you know you do! So, if your house hasn’t been painted for over 10 years sadly no matter where you live it will need “new MAKE up”! Get some competitive bids and paint your house. A nice neutral color is best when marketing your home. This is NOT the time to paint your house bright blue! GARAGE DOORS are my pet peeve… for a few hundred dollars you can get new DOORS if you need them. Think of it as the house is “getting its eyes done” as a ratty looking garage door makes buyers think that the house is going to be equally ratty.
Getting Your Home Ready to Sell. (2) YARD. Clean up any dead trees…Here in San Diego we get these huge Palm Trees which grow zillions of feet and have lots of dead branches. TRIM the branches! Nothing says BUY ME more than dead branches offering a bridge for the “roof rats”! If there is a lot of empty dirt, plant whatever grows the best in your area. Geraniums work here in San Diego – almost impossible to kill them and they grow like weeds. A Happy Yard frames a Happy House!
Getting Your Home Ready to Sell (3) FLOORS! Whatever your surfaces are, wood, Travertine, Slate, Tile, Carpet – whatever. Make sure they are in great condition. Travertine that has not been polished for years might as well be Vinyl. Wood that has scratches and discolored from the sun might as well be Vinyl. Tiles that are dirty and have peeling group might as well be Vinyl. Nothing against Vinyl…just doesn’t command the price other floors does. Get a professional ! Renting a buffer and just going over scratched floors isn’t going to do the job!
Getting Your House Ready For Sale. (4) Kitchens and Bathrooms. These are the most important rooms for buyers. If you can’t remodel – and why do it now instead of when you were planning to LIVE in the house, there are tricks to kick up these rooms. Stage it up a little. Put a colorful runner on the counter with a bright Italian Pot. Maybe a bowl full of Oranges and lemons. Divert from the bland tile to the pretty pottery and show a buyer what you can do with white tile counters. and CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN – hire a professional crew if necessary. Polish the appliances, make sure the refrigerator and pantry are clean and organized. YES those pesky buyers WILL LOOK. Make the shower heads are clean of hard water deposits and sparkle.
Once you have decided to putting your house on the market you want it SOLD so you can STOP making the beds and go on with your life! I’ll blog more about this subject. Make Getting Your House Ready to Sell a fun challenge. IT WILL PAY OFF!
