Getting Your House Ready to Sell

Emotion vs. Reason

When talking with real estate agents, you may find that when talking about
buying real estate, they refer to the property as a home. However, if you
are a seller, then they will often refer to it as a house. This is because
buying real estate is often an emotional decision, while when selling, you need
to remove emotions from the equation.
Think of your house as a marketable commodity. It’s a property, it’s real
estate. The goal is to get others to see it as their potential home, not yours.
Unless you consciously make this decision, you may inadvertently make a
situation where it takes longer to sell your property.
The first step in preparing to sell your house is to de-personalize it.

De-Personalize the house

You want to depersonalize your house because you want potential buyers to view
it as their potential home. When a potential buyer sees your family photos on
the walls, it temporarily affects their illusions about owning the home. This
is why it is important that you put away family photos, collectible items,
sports trophies, knick-knacks and souvenirs. Either put them in a box or rent a
storage unit.

Don’t just put the box in the attic or garage. Part of preparing to sell your
home is to remove clutter. Leaving the box in the house creates more in a
situation where you want less.

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Removing Clutter Even if You Don’t Think of it as Clutter

This is often the hardest part for people, because of emotional attachment to
the house. After living in a home for years, clutter adds up in ways that may
not be self-evident. It does affect the way people view the house, even if you
don’t realize it. Clutter amasses on shelves, counter tops, drawers, garages,
closets, attics, and basements.

Take a step back and imagine that you are a buyer. Let a friend and your real
estate agent help you identify clutter, if you can accept their input without
getting defensive.

Kitchen Clutter

A good place to start removing clutter is the kitchen. First, remove everything
from the counters. Remove everything, even the toaster! Leave the counters
barren. Put the toaster in a cabinet and take it out when you use it. Find
somewhere you can keep everything in cabinets and drawers. You might not have
enough cabinet space for everything. Clean them out. The dishes, pots and pans
you hardly use? Throw them in a box and put that in storage as well!

Homebuyers will often open all of the cabinets and drawers to see if there is
enough space for their things. It sends the wrong message when your cabinets
and drawers are full. You want to support an image of bountiful space, which is
best achieved with as much empty space as possible.

So if you have a junk drawer, or a crock pot you hardly ever use put it
in storage. Do this in every cabinet or drawer. Make as much empty space as you
can.

If you have a lot of food in the pantry and cabinets, start eating it!
Especially canned goods. Canned food is heavy and you don’t want to have to
lug it all elsewhere. Design your menu using your pantry and shelves as your
available food. Use up as much as you can.

Beneath the sink is another important area. Clean up clutter and create as much
empty space as possible. While you’re at it, scrub the area really well and
look for any tell-tale signs of water leaks that could make a potential
homebuyer hesitate in buying the home.

Closet Clutter

Closets often accumulate a lot of clutter, even if you aren’t aware that it is
clutter. This includes extra shoes and clothes; Things that you rarely wear but
are unwilling to part with. Take a vacation from these things for a couple
months and put them in a box. This will help avoid your closets looking
cluttered or un-spacious. Store any boxes full of personal stuff also.

Furniture Clutter

Some people have too much furniture in rooms. It may be a good idea to tour some
builder’s models to see how they have a good balance of furniture to make the
room feel spacious but comfortable. This can help you ascertain which pieces of
furniture to keep and which to store.

Storage Area Clutter

Attics, garages and basements often accumulate large amounts of clutter and
junk. These areas should be as empty as possible to help the potential buyer
visualize the space and imagine what they would do with it. Or you could have a
garage sale.

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Fixing Up the House Interior

Plumbing and fixtures

All sink fixtures should look new. They should be shiny and clean. If cleaning
is not possible, then new ones should be bought. Unless you buy something fancy
you can get something inexpensive and fairly easy to install. Make certain that
all hot and cold knobs turn smoothly and that no faucets leak. If they do leak,
it is simple to replace the washers.

Check to make sure the water pressure is adequate and look for stains on the
porcelain. Maybe even hire a cleaning crew to go through your house and give it
a once over.

Ceilings and Walls and Painting

Check all ceilings and walls for water stains. At times a leak can stain even
after it is repaired. Of course if you do have a leak, fix it as soon as
possible whether it is a plumbing problem or a roof leak.
When looking at the walls, make sure to check for dirt as well as stains.
Additionally, your paint may be old and outdated.

Painting can be one of the best investments when selling your home. It’s not
especially expensive and you can often do it yourself. Don’t pick colors
based on your own partiality, but on what would appeal to the widest range of
buyers. Almost always chose an off-color white, because white helps a room look
more spacious.

Carpet and Flooring

If your carpet isn’t visibly worn, or an extremely outdated style or color,
you should probably do nothing more than hire a good cleaner. If you do replace
the carpet, pick something inexpensive with a pretty neutral color.

Fix or replace broken floor tiles, but don’t spend a lot of money on anything.
Keep in mind that you aren’t fixing the place up for yourself, you are simply
trying to make as positive of an impression on those prospective buyers.

Windows and Doors

Inspect all your windows. Make sure that they open and close easily and spray
WD40 on them if they are squeaky. Also check for broken or cracked windowpanes.
If there are any, replace them before beginning to show your home.
Do the same with your doors. Make sure that they open and shut easily without
creaking. A little WD40 on the hinges almost always solves this issue.
Make sure that all doorknobs turn with ease and that they are clean and shiny.
When people look at a house they open each door and you want them to be clean
and facilitate a positive impression.

Odor Control

For smokers, cut down on indoor smoking as much as possible. Ideally all together! You can also buy an ozone spray that minimizes odors without a masking odor.
Pet owners should remember that cats and dogs create odors that one might be used
to, but those with a more fine-tuned sense of smell. Make sure to empty
litter boxes on a daily basis. There is also a product which can be placed
beneath the kitty litter that helps eliminate odor. Dog owners should keep dogs
outside as much as possible. If necessary, sprinkle carpet freshener on the
carpet.

Cost of Repairs

Don’t do anything expensive! Remodeling is not necessary. If applicable, use
savings to pay for any repairs and improvements. Don’t take out loans or
charge up credit cards. Keep on mind that part of selling your house is
preparing to buy your new home. Don’t do anything to hurt your credit score
or make it harder for you to obtain your next mortgage.

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Fixing Up Outside the House

Unless there is a major project, leave the outside of the house for last. This
is important for two reasons: first of all, the steps involved in preparing the
interior of the house are easier. They help you get in the appropriate mindset
for selling by helping you start thinking of your home as a marketable
property. Secondly, the exterior is most important. First impressions are made
looking at the house from the real estate agents car. Cross the street and
look at your house. Compare it to the neighboring houses.

Is your landscaping at least average? If you landscaping is of lower quality
than the rest of your neighborhood, then buy some plant some bushes. Don’t
put in trees, they are more expensive and will not repay the investment.
Additionally, keep in mind that immature trees don’t add to the appearance
value of the house.

If you have an area for flowers, make sure to buy mature and colorful ones,
because they will add energy and color. Don’t get bulbs or seeds, because
they won’t mature in time to make a good impression. You also don’t want a
patch of brown earth for buyers to see.

Make sure that your lawn is well kempt. It should be freshly cut, edged and
watered. There should not be any brown spots. If you have lawn problems, you
should probably deal with them prior to beginning work on the inside of the
house. You may have to re-sod and you want to give it time to grow so that
re-sodding isn’t obvious. Rake up grass clippings and any loose leaves.

House Exterior

Whether or not to paint the exterior of your house is always a tough decision.
When looking at your house from across the street, does the paint look faded or
worn? Are there spots where the paint is peeling or missing? If this is the
case, then a new paint job may be an ideal investment. It can really add to the
appearance of the house and add money to potential homebuyers offers.
When you settle on a color for the exterior, make sure not to pick anything
garish or strange. Pick a color that goes well with the neighborhood. Color
also depends on the style of your house. For some reason, different shades of
yellow elicit the most positive response from homebuyers. This is the case
whether it is the trim or the basic house color.

If your roof leaks, then replace it. If you don’t replace a roof that leaks,
you’re still going to have to disclose it and the buyer is going to want a
new one. If your roof doesn’t leak, just wait and see what the home inspector
says. Why spend money without cause?

The Back Yard

Keep your backyard clean and free of clutter. If you have a pool or a spa, keep
it well maintained and free of leaves and dirt. If you have dogs, clean up any
droppings and debris. If you have any kind of swing-set or anything like
that, it’s probably best to remove it, since it just takes up space. You want
your back yard to look as big as possible. This is especially important in
newer homes when the back yards tend to be smaller.

Front Door and Entryway

The front door should be especially attractive, since it is the entry to your
house. Polish the door fixture until it is shiny and do the same with the
knobs. If it needs refinishing or repainting, get it done.

Remove any plaque with your family name on it from your door and/or your
mailbox. You can put it back up again after you move. Get a doormat also.
Make sure that the door locks and unlocks effortlessly, and that the key fits
well. When a potential buyer visits your home, the real estate agent uses the
key from the lockbox. If there are problems opening the lock it generates a
negative first impression while everyone stands around waiting.

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