Home Sale Preparation

Homes today that are in less than stellar condition suffer greatly when it comes time for a buyer to make an offer. Even in Real Estate markets that heavily favor sellers, buyers are not forgiving when it comes to a homes appearance. If the home shows neglect, buyers will likely pass it over for one not neglected.

Most buyers want a move-in ready home and if yours isn’t one of them they have choices!

How you prepare your home can make a huge difference with how much the property sells for, and the length of time it is on the market.

Exterior Home Preparation Tips

One of the things you hear mentioned often when buying or selling real estate is “curb appeal”. First impressions are one of the most critical factors when you are selling a home. Since the first thing a buyer sees at when they visit your property is the yard and the exterior of the home, making sure that it is at least presentable is a must.

Remove all debris and trash from the yard including any tree limbs, branches, and left over leaves.
Sweep the driveway and walkway of any sand and pull weeds.
Pay careful attention to have all your landscaping beds weeded out and presentable. Adding a fresh coat of mulch gives your home an edge.
Trim the bushes if needed. Keep them a few feet back from the home allowing the home to breath. The home inspector will call this out if not done.
Consider planting some hearty Spring flowers that have lots of color to increase curb appeal further.
Evaluate your driveway and get it seal coated if it looks old and tired. Seal coating is fairly inexpensive and really does wonders to give your home a new and fresh feel.
Clean out your gutters. Leaves coming out of your gutters creates a feeling that the home has not been cared for.
Hose down your deck and consider seal coating the surface if necessary.
Look for any rotted trim boards and replace as needed. This is a very common inspection item called out.
The entry way to your home should look magnificent! A fresh coat of paint on the front door always looks terrific. Remove any cob webs as this is a place they often are found.
Consider adding a few potted flowering plants at the entry with some vibrant colors.
Use a garden hose and spray down any areas of your siding that may have mold or mildew build-up.

Interior Home Preparation Tips

When getting the interior of a home ready for sale one of the first considerations should be taking any unnecessary possessions and removing them from the home. You want to make your home feel as large and uncluttered as possible. De-cluttering old furniture, boxes, and nick knacks go a long way in maximizing the presentation. · Once all the clutter is gone, I would suggest a major cleaning.

The bathrooms and kitchen should be spotless as these are the rooms that buyers will pay careful attention to because these rooms are the costliest to upgrade,
Spruce up all the closets in your home. Buyers are always concerned about closet space.
Clean all the windows. Homes always show better when there is an abundance of natural light. Buyer’s especially gravitate towards bright homes and shy away from dark ones.
Touch up painting is essential in any home sale. Concentrate on high traffic areas where scuff marks and worn paint are readily visible. Homes that have painting issues do really stand out in a negative way!
Clean out and organize the garage to make the garage look as large as possible.
In areas of your home where natural light is not abundant, make sure you have lamps with brighter bulbs. Always make sure all the lights are on for showings. There is nothing worse than a dreary and dark home.
Clear your kitchen counters completely of everything that is not essential. Buyers want to see a spacious counter area in the kitchen.
Clean all faucets, mirrors, lights, and ceiling fans. There should be no visible dust bunnies!·
Re-caulk any tubs, showers, sinks, or tile flooring that has loose grout.
If you have leaking faucets make sure they are corrected before placing your home for sale.