Custom Marketing | Preparing Your Home For Sale | Brochures

Preparing Your Home for Sale

When we list your home, we will go through the house together to assist you in preparing the house for showings. Meanwhile, here are some tips for you to begin doing ahead of time to present your home in the best light.

Inside:

1. Clear all unnecessary objects from surfaces throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the surfaces restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items. Remember, less is more.
2. Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops. If it hasn’t been used for three months, put it away! Clear refrigerator fronts of messages, pictures, magnets, etc.
3. In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from countertops, tubs, shower stalls and commode tops. Keep only your most needed cosmetics, brushes, perfumes, etc., in one small group on the counter or in cabinetry. Coordinate towels to one or two colors only.
4. Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary. As owners, many times we have too much furniture in a room. This is wonderful for our own personal enjoyment, but when it comes to selling, we need to thin out as much as possible to make rooms appear larger.
5. Take down or rearrange certain pictures or objects on walls. Patch and paint if necessary.
6. Review the house inside room by room, and:
   a) Paint any room needing paint.
   b) Clean carpets or drapes as needed.
   c) Clean windows.
7. Make sure the closets and garage are not “too full.” Rent a storage unit if necessary.
8. Address any possibly offensive odors, such as kitty litters or cigarette smoke.
9. Leave on certain lights during the day. (We’ll show you which ones.) During showings turn on all the lights and lamps.
10. Have stereo FM on during the day for all viewings.

Outside:

1. Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., into the garage, or discard.
2. Check gutters and patio/porches. Make sure they are swept and cleaned.
3. Look at all plantings. Prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows.
4. Weed and then mulch all planting areas. Keep lawn freshly cut and fertilized. Remove any dead plants or shrubs.
5. Clear patios or decks of all small items, such as small planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbecues, toys, etc. Clean out debris from under porches and patios.
6. Check paint condition of the house — especially on the front entry and trim. First impressions matter.
   

In General:

Try to look at your house “through the buyer’s eyes” as though you’ve never seen it or been there before. Any time or money spent on these items will bring you back more money in return, and hopefully a faster sale.

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