When you were dating, you always wanted to look your best. Making a good impression was important if you wanted to date that guy or gal again. When your home is for sale, every showing is like a first date. You want your home to give a great impression so the potential buyer will want to come back for a second visit. Before you put your home on the real estate market, there are things you can do to be sure it makes the best impression possible.
Take A Tour Of Your Home
With a notepad and pen, take a tour of your home starting outside at the street. What is your first impression? Is the yard attractive? Is the entryway and door inviting? These are the first things a potential buyer notices. If your front yard has brown spots, the walkway has broken bricks, weeds are your most prolific plant, and the paint on the door is peeling or stained, then this is the area you need to address first. Moving inside the house, make note of any crowded or cluttered areas. Potential buyers will look in your closets. It is well worth it to rent a storage unit for all the things that need to be packed away before you show your home. Do you have a mantel covered in family photos? Pack them away, along with all the little odds and ends that decorate shelves. Old bulky furniture should be moved to your storage unit along with other things you want to keep, but don’t need right away. Have as much space showing as possible. A crowded home often appears smaller than it really is. Check floors and carpets, windows, appliances, counters, and plumbing fixtures. Any item that is damaged needs to be placed on your list to be repaired or replaced. Give the backyard the same scrutiny as the front.
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Start Cleaning
Clean every inch of the house. Don’t miss the high places, such as the top of bookcases, fan blades, and tops of windows. Wash or polish all surfaces, shampoo carpets, and wax hardwood floors. Give bathroom tiles and grout a thorough cleaning and polish all the fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen. Give appliances a thorough cleaning, even if they are not remaining with the home.
The Sniff Test
Give every room the sniff test for odors. It’s a good idea to place air fresheners in all bathrooms, the laundry area, and kitchen. Some real estate agents suggest baking chocolate chip cookies shortly before a showing to fill the home with a fragrance everyone loves. If you find musty or moldy odors in the basement or laundry area, scrub with bleach and water.
De-Clutter Every Room
We all have a corner where we pile magazines and mail, and before we realize it we have a mountain of clutter. It’s time to get rid of it. Remove shoes and boots stacked up in the hall next to the door. Things you don’t need every day should be packed and stored. Remove most wall decorations so potential buyers can envision how they would use the walls. De-clutter bedrooms, and pack up the majority of games, sporting equipment, music posters, and toys. Buyers want to see the uncluttered potential of the home.
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Paint Your Walls In Neutral Colors
You may love your dark forest green bedroom, but potential buyers may feel differently. Paint all your rooms in off whites, beige, or soft gray. Neutral tones allow lookers to visualize how their belongings will look in the room and on the walls, while dark colors visually decrease the size of your space.
Dress Up Your Master Bathroom
Create a spa ambiance with scented candles, natural soaps on a tray, light blue and green washcloths tied with a ribbon, and matching towels on a bar. A few plants will add a feeling of luxury to your bathroom. Close the lids on toilets because it does make a difference.
Most of what you should do to prepare your home for showing involves your time and some elbow grease. A few things will cost money, such as painting and repairs. If you are on a budget, do the most important things first. Everything you do will make a difference and help sell your home.
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Call Ballen at 1-800-805-8354 to be paired with a great real estate agent anywhere in the nation.
