 "Curb appeal" is always important when selling a home. How your house looks on the outside will often determine if potential buyers want to come inside and explore further. Though well-placed shrubs, a fresh coat of paint, and an inviting walkway will help get buyers inside, it's what's inside the house that's crucial.
Many Realtors recommend that homeowners who are looking to sell clean out closets, pick up the clutter, pack away those frog collections, and generally pare down what's inside. That goes for those treasured family photos and mementos, too. The reason? Besides adding a spacious feel to the home, pared-down surroundings can help potential buyers better envision themselves and their family photos in the house.
Another way sellers can help create a more open look is to pack away items and special collections usually displayed in cabinets and hutches, and moving various pieces of furniture out of the house. This will help buyers to better see where their furniture might go in the house.
Minor repairs, cleaning make a big difference
Believe it or not, many sellers don't do much beyond vacuuming the living room rug and cleaning the ring off the bathtub. Short of spending lots of money, there are several steps homeowners can take to make a home show better:
- Sweep the sidewalk, mow the lawn, prune the bushes, weed the garden, and clean debris from the yard.
- Clean the windows inside and out, and make sure paint is not chipped or flaking.
- Be sure the doorbell works. Seems obvious, but it's a small thing that many people don't consider.
- Clean all rooms, furnishings, floors, walls, and ceilings. It's especially important that the bathroom and kitchen are spotless. More homes are bought and sold because of spotless, clean-smelling bathrooms.
- Organize closets and clean out the clutter. Show potential buyers the spaciousness you saw when you bought the house.
- Make sure the basic appliances and fixtures work. Get rid of leaky faucets and frayed cords.
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- Hide the kitty litter and make sure the house smells good. Eliminate cigarette stubs, then clean carpets and wash walls thoroughly. Add pleasant odors with candles, boiling a pot of cinnamon sticks, or putting a dab of vanilla on cold light bulbs. Or, bake cookies for open houses, or simmer spaghetti sauce in a crock pot for a mouth-watering aroma. Might just do the trick, especially if the house is shown near dinnertime.
- Put vases of fresh flowers throughout the house and turn on soft background music.
And don't forget to keep the house clean every minute it's on the market. This is hard to do even when it's not on the market, but the buyer may need to see it in the next five minutes and you'll need to be prepared.
Tone down your creativity
So you grew up in a house with plain vanilla walls and decided, when you bought your own house, that no wall was safe from your paint roller and multicolor tastes? Well, it's time to tone it down. Go back to the home improvement store and buy some plain vanilla to cover those red walls in your boudoir - it'll make a difference when you're trying to sell your home. Many buyers can't see your Picasso genius (and just can't get past the bright purple wall in the living room) to visualize the colors that they're more comfortable with.
If you've got an Italian fresco on a living room wall that simply stops people in their tracks, they'll easily lose sight of the rest of the home's wonderful features. If you're still resistant, ask someone you trust to give you an independent view of your home. Better yet, ask your Realtor or an appraiser if the house looks cluttered or if any colors are too bright. Some may see bright colors as gaudy. Listen to their answers and take their advice. You can always use those expensive art lessons on the next house.
By "paring down," organizing, and carefully sorting your possessions, you're ensuring that your home will show just the way you want it. Remember to remove about half of the items stored in closets and cabinets and toss or give away items you don't use. Not only will de-cluttering and cleaning help to sell your house quickly, you'll be steps ahead of the game when it comes to packing up and moving to your new location.
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