Getting Ready for Showtime
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression !
In order for buyers to get the best first impression of your home, you must make it look good, inside and out. It is the only impression that matters to buyers. It is important to have major curb appeal outside and space appeal inside.
Task #1 Clean, clean, clean !
You have to clean your home like never before. Once cleaned you have to keep it clean the entire time you are living in it and trying to sell it. You may want to hire professional cleaners to do a deep cleaning the first time. You can maintain it yourself and have the professional cleaners come back as necessary.
Task #2 Declutter and Depersonalize
Task # 3 Deodorize the Home
It is so very unpleasant to walk into a home that has a bad smell. It gives buyers a terrible impression of the home. Take the time to deodorize the home and leave it fresh and clean smelling. Avoid scents that are particular and use scents that are one-size-fits-all like lemon or lavender.
Task # 4 Landscape the front and back yard.
Curb appeal is extremely important. As a REALTOR® who has shown hundreds of homes, it is not uncommon for a buyer to pass on a house because of the way it looks on the outside. The outside should make them want to come in.
Clean up the shrubbery, mow the lawn and add some nice potted plants and flowers to spruce up the outside.If you have a yard make sure it looks the best it can. If you have pets and they leave landmines, make sure to clean those up. You don’t want to imagine how a buyer will feel if they step in poop! Not a good thing at all, so clean it up. Make the back yard look clean and inviting. Stage the outside, like the inside if you have too.
Task # 5 Paint, Patch and Fix
Has it been a while since you have painted your home? Patched up any holes lately ? Yes, you might be thinking why paint and fix it now? Do it now because it will make the house look and feel fresh. It will be more attractive to buyers with its new look. If you have unusual colors on your walls consider repainting in neutral colors. A fresh coat of neutral paint will revive the look and feel of your home and give it a broad appeal.
Consider painting the outside as well if it needs freshening up. At minimum, the outside of the house should be washed, if not painted.
Fix any little known issues. An example of those little issues can be a sliding glass door that doesn’t slide properly, a door knob that doesn’t turn, a window that doesn’t open, etc. You want everything to be in good working order when the buyer is having their first look at your home. Take the time to do these little repairs because it lets buyers know that you are a homeowner that takes pride in their home. Overall it gives them a good feeling about the condition of the home. You can earn some serious brownie points with these little repairs!
Task # 6 Improve Kitchens and Baths
Kitchens and bathrooms are the single most important spaces in a home. Buyers place a very high importance on both of these. A complete remodel is not suggested, but you might want to think about doing some little things to make those spaces look better. For example, you might want to repaint those spaces in neutral colors like the rest of the house, refinish cabinets, paint tiles in the bathroom and add accessories that make them look fresher and newer.
Task # 7 Let there be light !
For pictures and for showings it is important to have good lighting. If you have natural light great, maximize it! If you have good lighting in the house, turn them on. If your house is not well lit, then consider getting lights, they don’t have to expensive. As long as the lights blend into your decor and brighten up the house, that is all you need.
The Hard Work Will Pay Off
Selling a house is much more than just putting a sign out front and showing it. Before the sign is put in the ground, you have to prepare the house. The better it looks like the better impression buyers will get and those impressions will, accordingly, translate into offers.