| Try looking at your house "THROUGH THE BUYER'S
EYES" as though you've never seen it or been there
before. Any time or money invested on the following will
bring back more money in return, and hopefully a faster
sale.
INSIDE:
- Clear all unnecessary
objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep
decorative objects on the furniture
restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items.
- 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,
etc. (A sparse kitchen helps the buyer mentally
move their
own things into your kitchen.)
- 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. Coordinate
towels to one or two colors only.
- 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.
- Take down or rearrange certain pictures
or objects on walls. Patch and paint
if necessary.
- Review the inside of the house room
by room, and:
Paint any room needing paint.
Clean carpets or drapes that need it.
Clean windows.
- If you need room to store extra possessions use
the garage or rent a storage unit.
- Leave on certain lights during the
day. During "showings" turn
on all lights and lamps.
- Have stereo FM on during the day for
all viewings.
OUTSIDE:
- Go around the perimeter of the house and move
all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building
materials, etc., into the garage.
- Check gutters for roof moss and dry rot. Make
sure they are swept and cleaned.
- Look at all plants... prune bushes and trees.
Keep plants from blocking windows. "YOU CAN'T SELL
A HOUSE IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT." Plants are
like children -- they grow so fast!!
- Weed and then mulch all planting areas.
Keep lawn freshly cut and fertilized. Remove
and dead plants
or shrubs.
- Clear patios or decks of all small items.
such as small planters, flower pots,
charcoal, barbecues, toys.
etc. (Put them in the garage or a storage
unit.)
- Check paint condition of the house
-- especially the front door and trim. "CURB APPEAL REALLY
WORKS!"
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