Showcase Your Home

Fixes For A Faster Sale

Want to sell your home quickly? Improve your odds with the checklist below.  A well-staged room invites buyers in and helps them see past the sellers’ possessions to the layout and square footage. Staging also helps draw buyers’ eyes to the best feature of the room, such as French doors or a fireplace. Staged homes sell faster and for more money. The homes that are SELLING in today's real estate market are the homes that are priced correctly and make the best first impression.

OUTSIDE

1. Paint the trim, columns, front door and check the condition of the light fixture.
2. Plant colorful annuals near the front entrance and add new mulch to the flower beds. If you don't have flower beds, place a couple of colorful potted plants on each side of the door. Make sure the front porch and steps are swept.
3. Make the landscaping neat. Remove dead plants, branches & leaves from flower beds. Prune overgrown shrubbery. Trim hedges and low hanging branches on trees. This gives the yard a larger "feel". This is especially important in smaller yards.
4. MOW THE GRASS. Potential buyers will walk around the outside of your home. Make it inviting for them.

INSIDE

1. CLEAN THE HOUSE!!! Dirt is the biggest turn off for potential buyers! It makes them think that you haven't taken care of anything else in the home.
2. Clean all windows and screens. This allows more natural light inside which tends to make a room look larger.
3. PICK UP CLUTTER. This opens up the rooms. If you have too much "stuff", consider a garage sale or donation to a thrift shop. Other items should be stored in boxes in an off site storage facility or in the garage.
4. Remove family pictures, children's drawings and the stuffed animal collection. Potential buyers have a hard time visualizing the home as "theirs" when it is overwhelmingly "yours".
5. Consider painting. Neutral colors are more inviting to buyers and make the home show much better than bright colors. Creativity is a personal thing. Make your home appeal to the masses.
6. If you can't paint and your room is painted a bright color, "tone it down" with neutral accessories. If it is painted a neutral color already, add a little cheer with brighter accessories such as colorful flowers, paintings, etc.
7. Make the entryway as clear and open as possible. This is where your buyer will enter your home and the very first impression will be made here. Remove the clutter from the entry table.
8. A few pieces of "tasteful" artwork on the walls is fine. Remove the rest.
9. Window treatments should be open to allow natural light inside and give the room a larger and brighter feel.
10. Take extra leaves out of the dining room table. This will make the room seem larger. Also, set the table with 2 settings of good china.
11. Take down the mirror or large picture from above the fireplace so the focus is on the fireplace and not the picture.
12. For smaller rooms, try moving the furniture away from the walls to create the illusion of more space.

KITCHEN

1. Remove any storage containers from the kitchen.
2. Clear magnets, artwork, photos and clutter from the front of the refrigerator.
3. Clear the countertops. Put the toaster oven and blender in the pantry or under the counter.
4. Organize the pantry. Clear out unused and non-food items. Group similar items.
5. Clean the front of the cabinets. For wood, use lemon oil or furniture polish. Wipe off the countertops and make them shine.

 BEDROOMS

1. Remove excess furniture to add "space".
2. Put away your clothes and clear off the tops of dressers and chests as much as possible.
3. Organize your closets. If there is not enough room for your clothes, there probably is not enough room for theirs. Closet space in a home is is a deal maker or breaker.
4. Try colorful bedding, throw pillows and matching window treatments.
5. Make your bed before you leave the house.

BATHROOMS

1. Keep the bathroom clean. Make glass, mirrors, doors and fixtures shine. Replace if necessary.
2. Put away the personal items.
3. Put the toilet seat down and hide the wastebasket.
4. Keep a good set of matching towels out and hide the ones you use. If you have a bright color scheme, you can tone it down with a neutral colored set of towels.
5. Clean thoroughly and re-grout bathroom floor and wall tile.
6. Replace bathroom vanities with trendy pedestal sinks.

PATIOS & DECKS

1. Repair damaged screens, doors, latches and flooring.
2. Pressure wash the entire area.
3. Add seating if necessary to suggest outdoor activities or lifestyle.
4. Consider colorful plants.
5. Hide unsightly views with potted palms or hanging plants.