Preparing Your Home

How to prepare your home to present it better to the buyer and sell it faster.

With as many homes for sale as we have in today’s market it is essential to make your home stand out of the crowd.

Now is the best time to do all the repairs that were for a long time on your to do list.

Fix broken window panes.
Check your faucets. A dripping faucet gives the impression of a home not well taken care of.
All roof leaks have to be fixed
Doors that don’t shut properly have to be adjusted
Call a home inspector for an evaluation of your home. Things he sees now, if they do not get fixed, the buyers home inspector will see.

Next, de-clutter your home inside and outside.

Remove most of your personal things like photographs and nig nags. Only leave a few selected decorational pieces. Too much personal stuff makes it hard for the buyer to imagine your home with his things.
Rent a storage and move all the personal things you removed packed up into this storage. You have to move them eventually anyway, why not now?
Clean out your garage.
Take your seasonally not needed clothes and pack them up. Half empty closets and drawers look bigger.
Only leave a few furniture pieces. Move the rest into the storage. Again less is more and you want your rooms to look bigger.

Finally give the whole house a thorough cleaning.

Clean your windows in and out or even better have them professionally cleaned.
Have a professional carpet cleaner clean your carpets.
Remove calcium stains and rust from sinks and water taps in bathroom and kitchen.
Get rid of pet odors and smell of smoke. Don’t smoke in the house anymore. Some buyers won’t even enter a house that smells of smoke.
Apply fresh paint where necessary but please in neutral colors. This will make your home look and smell fresh.
And last not least. When there is a showing let light into your home. Open the curtains and the blinds and turn the lights on. If everything is kept in the dark buyers get suspicious that the seller wants to hide something