Preparing your Home to SELL

Are you trying to prepare your home correctly before you sell it?

When selling your home preparation is VERY important. Preparing your home and making necessary repairs/changes before you put it on the market can be what effects how long it sits on the market.

The first place to start is with the Exterior. Curb appeal matters!

• Keep the lawn mowed. Tall grass is a turn off to buyers.
• Plant fresh BRIGHT flowers along the walk way or by the front door. It may sound silly but colorful flowers attract buyers.
• Wash the exterior windows. Buyers want to be able to see inside as well as out.
• Paint or replace the front door. The front door is the first thing the buyer touches, it needs to look appealing.
• Power wash the house to get rid of dirt and spider webs. A dirty exterior on a home is a turn off to buyers.
• Buy a new welcome mat to place at the front. This is inviting and makes the house feel more like home!
• Paint or replace the mailbox. You don't want a rusty mailbox; it makes the home look old from the outside.
• Make sure your house number is displayed nicely on your home. Visibility is important.
• Wash or replace your front porch light fixture. Fixtures are very important to buyers.

The second step is to declutter your home! Many homes have too much furniture removing 2 to 3 pieces of furniture from cluttered rooms will make the rooms appear bigger and more open!

• Remove all personal photographs from tables and walls. You can hang non-personalized artwork or patch the existing holes in the wall.
• Neatly pack away things off bathroom counter tops. This will allow the buyer to see how much space they can have.
• Neatly pack away electronics that you may keep on your kitchen counter tops. Buyers need to be able to see the counter top space, the kitchen is one of the most important things to buyers.
• Neatly fold or hang all clothing in your closets. Buyers always open the closet door, if it's cluttered the closet can look much smaller than what it really is.

The third step is to Thoroughly Clean the house! Now that you have all the clutter stored away you need to clean.

• Wash all windows in the house. As stated before buyers want to be able to see outside.
• Rent a carpet steamer and clean the carpets. Clean carpets are very important to most buyers.
• Dust the entire home; the window frames, doorways, book cases, etc. Dust is no one's friend, and buyers don't want to see it.
• Polish all wood and ceramic flooring. A shinny floor is a clean floor.
• Wash all light fixture coverings and ceiling fan blades.

The fourth step is to update your kitchen! Kitchens are important to most buyers, having an appealing kitchen is key. After all the kitchen is the heart and soul of the home!

• If new granite countertops is pushing the budget, either re-grouting the kitchen counter tiles, or covering them with granite tiles instead of granite slab will do the job.
• If you have wood cabinets, stripping the finish and re-staining or painting will make them more appealing.
• Purchase new knobs/pulls for cabinets. The knobs that are on a cabinet can make them look more updated.
• If your kitchen faucet needs a face lift, replace it.
• Replace or have the kitchen floors scrubbed clean!

The fifth step is to paint the Interior. Personalized paint is a BIG NO, everything should be neutral. If your budget will allow it you can hire a professional or you can take a deep breath, have some patience and do it yourself.

• Choose a soft tan color to paint all the walls in your home, the walls being the same color throughout the home is important. The ceilings can be painted a lighter color to make them pop and the ceilings being a lighter color than the walls make them appear higher!
• For a 10 x 10 room, you'll use about 2 one gallon cans of eggshell paint. For the amount of money a professional painter will charge you to paint one room, you can probably paint the entire house yourself!

The six step is to freshen up the bathrooms. A fresh, clean bathroom is a good one!

• Replace the toilet and vanity, especially if they are stained or outdated.
• If the sub is stained, hire a professional to refinish it. A dirty tub is a turn off.
• If you have shower doors, replace them if they are water-stained or clean them with lime dissolving detergent.
• If you have shower curtains make sure they are not personalized and are cleaned.
• Place scented candles near a basket of tightly rolled wash cloths to create a spa-like feeling.
• Neatly put away all personal items.

When preparing your home to sell the six steps above are crucial. Buyers want to walk in a house and feel at home; taking the steps above will help you provide just that feeling for most buyers that step through the front door of your house.

Remember, the less personal things you have throughout the home the better, and don't forget de-cluttering is KEY to making the house feel more open and spacious!

Now if that sounds like way to much work for you, you can always hire a professional listing agent, and they should be able to manage the project themselves or refer you to industry professionals.

If you would prefer assistants from a professional Realtor feel free to give me a call at 703-507-8241 or send me an email at ShanellSells1@yahoo.com



Please leave a comment below on how helpful these tips were for you!



Go to http://www.shanellrobinson.lnf.com/ to view my office listings, search for homes, and MUCH more.
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