Tips for Preparing to Sell Your Home

1. Disassociate Yourself With Your Home.

• Say to yourself, “This is not my home; it is a house — a product to be sold much like a box of cereal on the grocery store shelf. “
• Make the mental decision to “let go” of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.
• Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners!
•  Say goodbye to every room
• . Don’t look backwards — look toward the future.

2. De-Personalize.

Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can’t see past personal artifacts, and you don’t want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can’t do that if yours are there! You don’t want to make any buyer ask, “I wonder what kind of people live in this home?” You want buyers to say, “I can see myself living here.”

3. De-Clutter!

People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven’t used it in over a year, you probably don’t need it.

•  If you don’t need it, why not donate it or throw it away? If you don’t need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
• Remove all books from bookcases. Pack up those knickknacks.
• Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
• Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.
• Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.

4. Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets.

Buyers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well. This  means:

•  Alphabetize spice jars.
• Alphabetize spice jars.
• Neatly stack dishes.
• Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.
• Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
• Line up shoes.

5. Rent a Storage Unit.

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don’t want buyers scratching their heads and saying, “What is this room used for?”

6. Remove/Replace Favorite Items.

If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, she won’t want it. Once you tell a buyer she can’t have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.

7. Make Minor Repairs.

• Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
• Patch holes in walls. Fix leaky faucets.
• Fix doors that don’t close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
• Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls.(Don’t give buyers any reason to remember your home as “the house with the orange bathroom.”)
• Replace burned-out light bulbs.
• If you’ve considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!

8. Make the House Sparkle!

• Wash windows inside and out.
• Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
• Clean out cobwebs.
• Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
• Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
• Clean out the refrigerator.
• Vacuum daily.
• Wax floors.
• Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
• Bleach dingy grout.
• Replace worn rugs.
• Hang up fresh towels.
• Bathroom towels look great fastened with ribbon and bows.
• Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no.

9. Scrutinize.

• Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you?
• Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer.
• Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense.
• Make sure window coverings hang level.
• Tune in to the room’s statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and pizzazz?
• Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You’re almost finished.

10. Check Curb Appeal.

If a buyer won’t get out of her agent’s car because she doesn’t like the exterior of your home, you’ll never get her inside.

• Keep the sidewalks cleared.
• Mow the lawn.
• Paint faded window trim.
• Plant yellow flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow evokes a buying emotion. Marigolds are inexpensive.
• Trim your bushes.
• Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.

11. Rid your home of Odors

Cigarette smoke and pets are the best way to have potential buyers walk through your front door and right back out.

Eradicate the odors so that you can present potential buyers with a clean, fresh atmosphere–not a house that’s full of perfumes to cover up the odors.

12. Pets.

Dogs frighten some people and Cats irritate most. You’ll have a much better response from showings if you control your pets–dogs, cats, whatever.

You say you plan to put them in a bedroom or garage and then ask people not to open the door to that area? Bad idea. Would you buy a house you can’t inspect? Of course not.

Remove pets during showings if possible. If you can’t, contain them in crates for their own safety and to show respect for the feelings of potential buyers.

Cats. How many people do you know that are allergic to cats? Even once removed from the home, some potential buyers will not even be able to walk through your house if cats still live there or have recently in the past. If you plan to move soon think about taking that  step to keep your pet(s) but help get your home ready to sell. Find a temporary foster home till your house sells. You do not want to lose a buyer because they cannot even walk through your home without sneezing and becoming weary if they’ll ever be able to live there. Their time will be more focused on getting out quickly instead of looking at your home.

13. Dirty Bathrooms

Grimy bathrooms are an instant turnoff. Scrub them, paint them, buy a new shower curtain, rugs and towels–do what it takes to make them shine. If you’re serious about selling the home, the extra work is a must.

14. Dimly Lit Rooms

Dark homes are a turnoff to most home buyers, so try to brighten them up:

•  Replace dim light fixtures Install additional light fixtures
•  Install (quality) sun tunnels or skylights
•  Remove heavy drapes to let the light stream through windows
•  Repaint some rooms with colors that reflect light
•  Trim tree limbs that shadow the house
•  If possible, turn on every light in the house prior to showings.

Dirty and fogged windows are another buyer turnoff. Clean them inside and out to bring in more light. If possible, replace any double-pane windows with broken seals. You can find them by looking for a foggy residue that cannot be removed.

15. Bugs.

Roaches, spiders and any insect that shouldn’t be in the house. Get rid of them and do not have bug traps in the corners of your kitchens and bathrooms. If you need to have your house sprayed have a professional come do it prior to listing your home.

16. Sellers who are present for showings.

Leave the home for every showing. Buyers feel awkward about being there and opening doors when you’re hovering over them. If you want someone to get a really good look at your house, leave! Remember, it’s not going to be yours for long.

Final Comments from me to you:

Top reasons for home selling issues can be corrected without spending a lot of money. Do it now, before you put the house on the market, because if your house develops a reputation among Realtors as the house that smells, the house with the huge barking dog, the house with all the pets or the house where the owner won’t leave people alone, it will be too late. Your house will be last on their list to show potential buyers.