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"Setting
the Stage"
to show and sell your home. |
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Getting your home ready to
show and sell can make the difference between a quick sale
and a long market time. Setting the stage may or may not
get you more money but it can reduce the time it takes
your home to sell, which does save you money. Setting the
stage to show and sell your home is a two phase project.
First, the things you need
to do
before
you put your home on the
market and secondly the things you need to do
before EVERY showing. |
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Prior
to Putting Your
Home on the Market |
 DE-CLUTTER 
Rent a storage unit if you
have to. Try to look at your home through the eyes of a
buyer. That stack of stuff in the corner that you are so
used to looking at needs to be removed. If your home is
small and or crowded consider
rearranging or removing furniture . The exercise
equipment that you never use - Store It! Accessories are
wonderful and should remain
in moderation.
Go to some model homes and
see how they look. They have accessories, but nothing is
overdone. Closets should be uncluttered also. Remove out
of season clothes and give all those things you no longer
need to charity. Stack things neatly on shelves.
OR ADD -
if your furnishings are sparse, borrow
some pictures for the walls, cover the beat up sofa with a
throw and bring in a flower arrangement. Just use common
sense, make your home look the best you can. |
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CLEAN
EVERYTHING 
Your home should sparkle. Don't overlook light fixtures, a
clean fixture can make a huge difference in the lighting
in a room. While you are cleaning the fixtures replace dim
bulbs with bright ones. Make sure your bathrooms are
spotless, faucets should be shiny, counters empty except
for a few accessories, fixtures cleaned and fresh (get the
rust stains out of the toilet etc), mirrors should be
clean and streak free. The same goes for the kitchen -
sparkling faucet, clean shiny sink, cabinet fronts should
be wiped down or cleaned, replace drip pans on the range.
Wash all light switches, we don't realize how the
fingerprints collect on these. Go through your home room
by room and make sure everything has been cleaned,
even the utility room and furnace. |
MAKE MINOR REPAIRS That dripping faucet or toilet
that won't quit
running may just be a quick 10 minute repair but left
alone can become a concern for the buyer. "Maybe there is
a plumbing problem" , "we better offer less" or "there is
too much deferred maintenance in this house" are typical
comments from buyers.
 Touch
up paint or paint a whole room if needed. The drawings
your kids made on the wall will not be considered art by
potential buyers. Touch up woodwork where needed. The
scratches your dog made on the door (or worse chewed the
woodwork) should all be fixed and painted. Re-caulk tubs
and showers. |
FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT Paint
your front door. Sweep away
leaves, cobwebs etc. I can't stress this enough,
potential buyers are already deciding if they like your
home while waiting for the REALTORŪ or homeowner to
unlock the door. |
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Go
to Page 2 >>
Put out the Welcome Mat Before Every Showing
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