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| Sellers Corner
| Showing Tips
| Market Your Home
Donna's tips for preparing your
home for sale.
YARD & EXTERIOR
- PAINT: Few things will enhance the salability of a house quite so
much as painting the outside. Before painting, scrape or water blast any
blistered or peeling paint; repair gutters and down spouts and replace wood
showing dry rot. Wood, trim work, gutters, and wrought iron should receive
primary attention.
- FRONT ENTRY: This is where buyers
get their first opportunity to make a close inspection, and they will pick
it apart looking for flaws. Replace a badly
worn or broken doorbell button. Polish the door brass. Repaint or replace an
unsightly mailbox. Put out a new or clean door mat. Do a thorough weeding
and pruning job on any flower beds near the entry, and try to have some
flowering plants growing.
- YARD: Mow and trim the lawn. Weed flower beds.
- DRIVEWAY, GARAGE/CARPORT: Clean up grease or oil spots. See that the garage door opens freely and
that the automatic door opener is in good working order. If possible, don't
park cars in front of the house or in the driveway, and try to have very few
parked cars on the street near the house.
- DECK: Nice outdoor furniture looks very appealing. Pressure clean
and stain as necessary.
HOME BASICS
- WINDOWS: Repair or replace torn or bent screens. Replace any
cracked or broken panes.
- DOORS: Check to see that all doors open and close freely, including
closet doors and patio or sliding glass doors. Tighten the hardware, particularly doorknobs.
- WALLS: Painting will pay dividends out of all
proportion to the time and effort spent. Neutral, "Shell White"
walls are usually the best. Wallpaper should be clean and
adhere smoothly to walls. Patch all major holes in wallboard and plaster.
Loose handrails on stairway should be secured. Clean or paint
air-vent covers.
- FLOORS: Repair or replace missing or damaged pieces of tile; polish
if needed.
- CARPETS: Steam-cleaning is best for soiled carpet;
shampooing seldom does the job where show ability is concerned. Stretch
carpet if needed. Replace old carpet or carpet that is not very
neutral.
MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL
- SWITCHES AND FIXTURES: Repair or replace wall switches, outlets,
and light fixtures that don't work, replace any broken switch plates.
- APPLIANCES: Those that will be sold with the home should be in good
working order.
- PLUMBING: Badly chipped or irreversibly stained sinks and tubs
should be re-enameled, patched, or replaced. Leaky or excessively noisy
toilets should be fixed, as well as any dripping faucets.
ARRANGE FOR A SPACIOUS LOOK
One of the best and least expensive ways to improve show ability is to open as much space as possible.
Overstuffed rooms or closets give the impression of being smaller
than they really are. If necessary, rent a storage space to store your
extra belongings in while your house is on the market.
- CLOSETS & STORAGE AREAS: Open up your storage
areas by getting rid of items you aren't using.
- COUNTERS & CABINETS: Store infrequently used
counter-top appliances and clear off items not used daily.
HOUSEKEEPING
- BATHROOMS: Few places in the home can get so dirty so fast, and yet
few things will "unsell" a house as fast as dirty baths. Vanity,
sink, faucet hardware, and mirror are the focal points, but other potential
problems might be soap residue in a shower, a moldy shower curtain,
accumulated dirt in the track of the sliding shower door, soiled or missing
grout, stained toilet bowls, and dirty or battered bath mats.
- KITCHEN: Most
buyers will inspect this area carefully, so extra time invested here is well
spent.
- WINDOWS: Clean windows are an absolute necessity if a house is to
look its best.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
- VALUABLES: You may have valuable possessions that you like to
display in your home, but when the house is being shown to strangers put
them away. Never leave small valuable items lying around.
- EXCLUSIONS FROM THE SALE: Make a note now of the items you do not
intend to include with the sale of the house. Some items that often
cause misunderstandings are light fixtures, draperies and large mirrors.
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