Advice for Sellers: PREPARE Your House BEFORE It Is Listed
Today I saw what was the third house in the last week that was not ready to be listed. I just don’t understand it. The most precious and important time for a house to be in tip top shape is the first few weeks of listing.
When it’s showtime and that listing goes live and the curtain in drawn, that house better be making the performance of its life. Sadly, this is not always the case.
Here is a conglomeration of what I noticed in those three houses.
Exterior
Exterior grounds messy
Front walk full of weeds
Dead shrubs and/or flowers
Filmy light fixtures
Broken light fixture
Dull or missing bulbs
Torn up welcome mat
Fascia board falling down
Mildew on siding
Interior
Dirty walls
Grimy wall plates
Water stains on walls
Cracks in ceiling
Damaged kitchen countertop
Stained carpeting
Dirty windows
Dusty blinds
Bathroom tub grout pulled away from wall
Cigarette smoke smell in house masked by potpourri
Leaky kitchen faucet
Clutter in corners
Most of these issues just require some elbow grease and cleaner; Others, minimal expense to correct.
You see, buyers notice EVERYTHING. Sometimes, it’s those small things or a group of small things that become BIG in the buyer’s mind and are a distraction when viewing the house.
They also put that bad seed of deferred maintenance in the buyer’s mind. In other words, if these sellers can’t clean up and fix these small issues, what bigger issues have they let go as well?
Sellers: PREPARE Your House BEFORE It Is Listed. Get it ready for prime time. When it goes on the MLS, this is NO rehearsal. This is showtime. Your house MUST be ready for its performance … and scrutiny by its critics … prospective buyers. After all, don’t you want a good review AND an encore??
Thinking of selling your house? Please contact me for expert advice and tips on preparing your house for sale and getting it SOLD.
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