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Your home will sell faster, and bring a higher price, if it shows
well. Potential buyers will get the best impression if your home
is clean, neat, uncluttered, in good repair, light, airy, fragrant
and quiet. This checklist will help you get your home ready to
show.
Clean everything.
Cleanliness signals to a buyer that the home has been well cared
for and is most likely in good repair. A messy or dirty home will
cause prospective buyers to notice every flaw. Unclutter your
home before you show it. Have a garage sale. Empty closets. Throw
away what you can’t sell. The less “stuff” in
and around a home, the roomier it will seem.
Let the light in.
Raise the shades. Open the blinds. Pull back the curtains. Put
brighter bulbs in all the lamps (but not bright enough to cause
a glare). Bright, open rooms feel larger and more inviting. Dark
rooms feel small and gloomy.
Let fresh air in.
Get rid of odors that may be unfamiliar or unpleasant. People
are most often offended by odors from tobacco, pets, cooking and
musty or sour laundry. Fresh flowers and potpourri can be used
to your advantage. Other smells that attract positive attention
include fresh baked bread and cinnamon.
Fix anything that is broken.
This includes plumbing, electrical systems/switches, windows,
TV antennas, screens, doors and fences. If it can’t be fixed,
replace it or get rid of it. (No window screens are better than
broken ones.) A buyer will make a much lower offer if your house
is in disrepair and will probably still insist that everything
be fixed before taking occupancy. You’re better off if you
leave potential buyers no reason to offer less than you are asking.
Show your home, not your pets and/or children.
Send pets away or secure them away from the house when
prospective buyers are coming. You never know if people will be
annoyed or intimidated by your pets or even allergic to them.
And you never want a prospective buyer to have to avoid animal
droppings. Similarly, send the kids to grandma’s or take
them on a walk around the block. Children can be noisy and distracting
to someone interested in looking at a home.
Paint.
There’s nothing that improves the value of a home for a
lower cost than a fresh coat of paint. And it’s often easier
to paint a room than it is to scrub it. Stick with neutral colors—off-white
is safest. Be sure to avoid black, violet and pink.
Keep noise down.
Silence is a restful sound that offends no one. Turn off the TV
and radio. Soft, instrumental music is fine, but avoid vocals.
If necessary, close the windows to eliminate any street noise.
Fix squeaky floorboards.
Don’t run any noisy equipment like a vacuum cleaner or table
saw while people are looking at your home, and, if possible, ask
your neighbors to avoid irksome noises.
Final Hints
•Make sure the temperature in your home
is comfortable—keep it cooler in the summer and warmer in
the winter. If it’s cold outside, and you have a fireplace,
a nice fire will make your home seem cozy and inviting.
•Be available in case prospective buyers
have questions, but don’t crowd them.
•Provide an exhaustive written list of
the features of your home.
•Answer questions professionally and truthfully,
but don’t volunteer any information.
•Know the distances to schools and shopping
centers.
•Let the home and your agent do most of
the selling.
•Refer any prospect who calls or comes
by to your agent for pre-screening and pre-qualification as well
as for your own safety.
•Provide a home warranty and promote it.
•Tell your real estate agent all about
the home — good and bad. Let the professional decide how
to handle any negatives and feature or highlight the positives.
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