Selling Your Home - Do A Little, Get A Lot! … by neil smith
http://www.takingstuffapart.com/articles/1938/1/Selling-Your-Home---Do-A-Little-Get-A-Lot-hellip-by-neil-smith/Page1.html
Neil Smith
LET'S GET AHEAD is dedicated to finding new and creative ways to make money, save money and live better. Neil Smith researches and reports on Home Matters, Auto, Banking, Money Saving Strategies and much more! Your input is always welcome and LET'S GET AHEAD is intended to be a community where ideas are shared. By Neil Smith
Published on 03/19/2008
3/19/07
In this depressed market, advantage has shifted to buyers in a lot of regards (those that can actually qualify for loans that is) and if you are placing a home on the market, small details are more important than ever to make it stand out and catch the eyes of buyers.
Selling Your Home - Do A Little, Get A Lot! … by neil smith
3/19/07
In this depressed market, advantage has shifted to buyers in a lot of regards (those that can actually qualify for loans that is) and if you are placing a home on the market, small details are more important than ever to make it stand out and catch the eyes of buyers.
Start The Deal With Curb Appeal!
A clean, well maintained exterior and landscape sends a message that the property has been owned by people who care and that the rest of the home is likely to also be a positive experience.
* Make sure the roof is in good repair and looks presentable
* Repaint any cracking or peeling exterior surfaces. If your home is painted in a loud, bright color, repaint it to a more neutral tone that is more in line with the neighborhood and won’t shock buyers and turn them off. Consider beiges, browns and whites.
* Clean up the yard and mow the lawn. If there are any bare spots in the lawn, borrow some grass from an inconspicuous part of the yard to replace it (will match better than store-bought sod). If you are planning to sell several months down the road, get your lawn on a fertilizer program.
Declutter! Decolorize! Deep Clean!
Make sure people can move freely about your home and aren’t so distracted by your belongings that they can’t envision their own life and how it will fit into your place.
* Since you are going to be moving anyway, now is a great time to go through everything you own and get rid of the things you don’t want or need. Have a garage sale (See my article on Garage Sale Success) and donate whatever is left afterwards to charity (and get a tax writeoff in most cases!). If there are any other items in your home that stand to distract or impede flow that you wish to take with you into your next place of residence, rent a storage unit and move these items there until you are into your next place.
* Be sure your walls and trim are painted in neutral colors. You want your home to be as appealing as possible to as large a cross-section of people as possible to improve your chances of a sale. Shades of white and light beige are usually the best paint options.
* Clean your place top-to-bottom (and make sure it smells good too!). Wipe down the walls. Dust and shine all surfaces. Wax wooden floors and deep clean / shampoo all carpets. Clean draperies.
Bathrooms and Kitchens - The Rooms That Richen!
It’s a well-known fact: People buy kitchens and bathrooms and the rest of the home is just something that came with the place. Therefore, these rooms require extra-special attention!
* Resurface any tubs or sinks that have scratches or mars on them.
* Modern kitchen appliances are an investment that will pay off in what you are able to ask for your home. If you’re kitchen appliances are old and outdated, make every effort to replace them and bring this critical room up to date.
* Be sure your countertops are in good shape. If you are able to install new countertops (think granite!) you will be in a much more desirable position.
* Refinish wood cabinets. Clean them up, restain and shine if needed and install modern hardware.
Be Prepared to Make Repairs!
* A professional home inspection before going on the market is a good idea. Find out what items are likely to come back on the prospective buyer’s caution list when they have the place inspected and get it fixed, especially plumbing and electrical items.
* Home warranties that are transferrable to your buyers are also a great peace-of-mind incentive that will place your home in a more favorable light.
Doing these things will also help pave the path to a smooth closing and lessen some of the haggling / points of contention.
HAPPY SELLING!
I would love to know what some of your tips are for preparing a home for sale or just read your feedback in general. Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Please visit my website at http://www.letsgetahead.com for more great articles like this one!
In this depressed market, advantage has shifted to buyers in a lot of regards (those that can actually qualify for loans that is) and if you are placing a home on the market, small details are more important than ever to make it stand out and catch the eyes of buyers.
Start The Deal With Curb Appeal!
A clean, well maintained exterior and landscape sends a message that the property has been owned by people who care and that the rest of the home is likely to also be a positive experience.
* Make sure the roof is in good repair and looks presentable
* Repaint any cracking or peeling exterior surfaces. If your home is painted in a loud, bright color, repaint it to a more neutral tone that is more in line with the neighborhood and won’t shock buyers and turn them off. Consider beiges, browns and whites.
* Clean up the yard and mow the lawn. If there are any bare spots in the lawn, borrow some grass from an inconspicuous part of the yard to replace it (will match better than store-bought sod). If you are planning to sell several months down the road, get your lawn on a fertilizer program.
Declutter! Decolorize! Deep Clean!
Make sure people can move freely about your home and aren’t so distracted by your belongings that they can’t envision their own life and how it will fit into your place.
* Since you are going to be moving anyway, now is a great time to go through everything you own and get rid of the things you don’t want or need. Have a garage sale (See my article on Garage Sale Success) and donate whatever is left afterwards to charity (and get a tax writeoff in most cases!). If there are any other items in your home that stand to distract or impede flow that you wish to take with you into your next place of residence, rent a storage unit and move these items there until you are into your next place.
* Be sure your walls and trim are painted in neutral colors. You want your home to be as appealing as possible to as large a cross-section of people as possible to improve your chances of a sale. Shades of white and light beige are usually the best paint options.
* Clean your place top-to-bottom (and make sure it smells good too!). Wipe down the walls. Dust and shine all surfaces. Wax wooden floors and deep clean / shampoo all carpets. Clean draperies.
Bathrooms and Kitchens - The Rooms That Richen!
It’s a well-known fact: People buy kitchens and bathrooms and the rest of the home is just something that came with the place. Therefore, these rooms require extra-special attention!
* Resurface any tubs or sinks that have scratches or mars on them.
* Modern kitchen appliances are an investment that will pay off in what you are able to ask for your home. If you’re kitchen appliances are old and outdated, make every effort to replace them and bring this critical room up to date.
* Be sure your countertops are in good shape. If you are able to install new countertops (think granite!) you will be in a much more desirable position.
* Refinish wood cabinets. Clean them up, restain and shine if needed and install modern hardware.
Be Prepared to Make Repairs!
* A professional home inspection before going on the market is a good idea. Find out what items are likely to come back on the prospective buyer’s caution list when they have the place inspected and get it fixed, especially plumbing and electrical items.
* Home warranties that are transferrable to your buyers are also a great peace-of-mind incentive that will place your home in a more favorable light.
Doing these things will also help pave the path to a smooth closing and lessen some of the haggling / points of contention.
HAPPY SELLING!
I would love to know what some of your tips are for preparing a home for sale or just read your feedback in general. Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Please visit my website at http://www.letsgetahead.com for more great articles like this one!