Articles
& resources
for buying, selling & investing in apartments, condos & houses.
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How
To Prepare Your House For Selling
In
the aggressive world of real estate where there are often more sellers
than buyers, it’s only common sense to prepare your home so that it
will look its very best, giving you an edge over your competition. There
are many ways to give your house a sparkle without having to pay an arm
and a leg.
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A
prospective buyer’s first impression naturally sets the tone for the
rest of the visit. If you can be objective, pretend you are a buyer
coming to your house for the first time.
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Does
the grass need trimming?
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Is
the sidewalk clean?
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What
do they see as soon as they walk in the door?
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Is
there footwear to trip over, jackets hanging outside of the closet,
mud on the floor, fingerprints on the window?
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When
you look beyond the entry, how does the rest of the house
seem?
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Does
it feel cluttered?
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Is
there furniture in awkward places?
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Are
you walking into a home where you wish you could keep your shoes
on?
Often
we are used to seeing our homes with blinders on. Certain items have sat
in the same place for so long that we don’t even notice things like
cluttered surfaces or smudges on the walls. Looking with fresh eyes can
be somewhat difficult for some people, so ask a friend who’s not
afraid to be blunt.
What
is their first impression? How does the house smell to them? Does it
look dirty, or cluttered? Tidying up, painting, and de-cluttering
can make a world of difference.
Lots
of things you can do cost next to nothing and just take a little time
and elbow grease. Here are some great tips:
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Put
things away, and pack your personal items. Photos of the children or
family pet, souvenirs, or knickknack collections just take up space
and can distract the prospective buyer from focusing on your home.
Many people can’t look beyond the ‘stuff’ in the house, so put
as much as you can into moving boxes. You will have to pack up
everything when you move anyway. Right away your house will seem
more clean and spacious. Most people are looking for a home where
they can feel proud to bring friends or family.
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Arranging
your furniture in a way that encourages people to socialize will
make a home feel more friendly and warm. Take the focus off the
television. Arrange seating in conversational groupings. If your
furniture looks very worn and shabby, either purchase some
slipcovers, or see if the cost of renting some furnishings is in
your budget. Check out home staging professionals to see if they can
offer you a service you can afford. Some of these companies
advertise that they will work with your existing belongings to
optimize your room appeal. If you were planning to get rid of some
old furniture when you move, do it now. Nothing makes a room feel
more cramped and dingy than having too much stuff in it. And it’s
a lot easier to keep your house looking nice if there’s not so
much to take care of.
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A
huge deterrent to a prospective buyer is a smelly house. That musty,
old house smell can sometimes be eliminated by de-humidifying, and
there are hundreds of products on the market for masking or getting
rid of odors entirely.
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Cleaning
carpets, repainting or washing walls, and keeping up with the dirty
laundry will make a difference too.
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Pets
and their accessories need to be kept spotless. A litter box, even
when kept somewhat clean, can usually be detected by someone who has
no pets. Stinky dog beds and dog hair everywhere can make a whole
house feel dirty.
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Make
your house sparkle. Wash the windows and mirrors. Polish the chrome
in the kitchen and bathroom. If you have some crystal or glassware,
make it gleam and add some flowers. Dust all the furniture with a
furniture wax. Wash the floors.
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Turn
on the lights before the agent brings the prospective buyers (but
don’t forget to dust them and remove the dead bugs!)
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Kitchens
and bathrooms need some extra consideration. Naturally dirty dishes
need to be put away, counters must be spotless and the floors need
to be clean. Don’t think that you can hide a filthy bathtub by
closing the shower curtain. People are going to look! And a nice
fresh scent in the bathroom can make buyers think that the bathroom
is cleaner than it actually is. (Don’t get me wrong….it still
needs to be immaculate.)
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Spend
a bit of time mending things like leaky faucets and burnt out
lights.
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Tidy
up the garage as much as you can.
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Trim
the hedges and do a little weeding.
You
can be sure that the time spent on fixing and cleaning will be worth
every minute. A home that looks sparkly clean and smells fresh and
inviting is certain to attract extra attention and interest. And
who knows…maybe you’ll even get more than your asking price. There’s
no harm in trying!
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