Tucson Arizona Real Estate Sellers Tips by Donna Anderson Long Realty Company Tucson Arizona

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Donna Anderson ABR, ALHS, CRS, e-PRO
Long Realty - Foothills
Tucson, Arizona
(520) 615-2598
E-Mail: Donna@DonnaAnderson.Com

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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Donna Anderson ABR, ALHS, CRS, e-PRO
Long Realty - Foothills
Tucson, Arizona
(520) 615-2598
E-Mail: Donna@DonnaAnderson.Com

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I am pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the nation. I encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin." For comprehensive resources on fair housing and related real estate issues visit www.fairhousing.com.