Prepare Your Home

How your home shows is nearly as important as where it is located when it comes to
selling it. You want to take every step possible to maximize what you can get out of
selling your home.
Create the best first impression possible with prospective buyers
Make people comfortable as they view your home and excited about the
prospect of buying your home
There are many steps you can take to achieve these goals. Before you show your
home
Clean up the exterior. This will attract people to your home as they approach
it for a viewing or if they are simply driving by and see a for sale sign
· Keep lawn cut and in good condition
· Keep hedges and shrubs trimmed
· Clear driveway and clean up oil spills
· Touch up paint
· Make minor repairs
Create space. This allows the spaciousness of your home to show through, so
that prospective buyers can more easily imagine how their possessions would
look in your home
· Clear hallways and closets
· Clear closets of unnecessary clothing
· Remove any empty boxes and containers
· Clear counter tops
· Store excess furniture
Clean up the interior. This conveys your pride of ownership and allows people
to focus on the amenities of your home
· Clean all rooms thoroughly (bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, living
room, dining room)
· Clean all appliances (refrigerator, stove, washer and dryer, furnace
vents and filters)
· Clean carpets
· Clean windows, including drapes and blinds
Perform maintenance. This also conveys your pride of ownership and allows
people to focus on the amenities of your home
· Touch up paint
· Replace light bulbs
· Repair seals around tubs, sinks and counter tops
· Repair cracked plaster
· Repair leaking faucets and toilets
· Tighten door knobs and latches
Consider performing inspections to include in your seller’s disclosure package
to prospective buyers. In a fast moving market, having inspections
performed prior to offer acceptance can expedite the sale process
· Pest inspection
· General contractor inspection
· Underground storage tank inspection
· Other inspections
When your home is shown, you want prospective buyers to be excited about making
an offer to purchase your home. While buying a home is a major financial decision
that involves a lot of thought, it is usually an emotional decision to actually write an
offer on a specific property. To create the proper mood when your home is shown
· Turn on lights
· Open drapes or blinds
· Light the fireplace
· Open windows or turn on the heater
· Place flowers and plants throughout your home
· Make sure every room is clean, neat and orderly