How do you prepare a house to sell?
Doing whatever you can to put your house's best face forward is very important
if you want to get close to or more of your asking price and sell as quickly as possible. Short of spending a lot of money, here are several ideas for making your home show better:
* Sweep the sidewalk, mow the lawn, prune the bushes, weed the garden and clean debris from the yard.
* Clean the windows (both inside and out) and make sure the paint is not chipped or flaking. And speaking of paint, if your home was built before 1978, new federal law gives a buyer the right to request a lead inspection. If you think you might have some problems, do the inspection yourself beforehand and make any fixes you can.
* A good paint job does miracles. Does both the exterior and the interior look like they have been well taken care of? Maybe just a good power wash.
* Be sure that the doorbell works.
* Clean and spruce up all rooms, furnishings, floors, walls and ceilings. It's especially important that the bathroom and kitchen are spotless.
* Organize closets.
* Make sure the basic appliances and fixtures work. Get rid of leaky faucets and frayed cords.
* Make sure the house smells good: from an apple pie, cookies baking or spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. Hide the kitty litter.
* Put vases of fresh flowers throughout the house.
* Having pleasant background music playing in the background also will help set your stage.
* Does the carpet have stains? Or does the carpet look old and dirty?
* Do flower beds need an upgrade? Make sure plants are neatly pruned. Is the bed free and clear of weeds, Are flowers in bloom?
* Is the roof free and clear from obstructions and moss. Are the gutters clear and neatly hung?
* Remove building material and scrap wood. Store the garbage cans in the garage.
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