I think it would be a good idea to pretend you’re putting your home on the market in the next two weeks.  This will be a big undertaking. Just ask any seller who has properly staged their house for resale.  Here are some suggestions:

  

1. Empty clutter from each room and consider removing some furniture to open up the space. The idea is to make it look and feel large and spacious.

2. Consider the wall hangings – do you need all of them? Is it time for a change?

3. Touch up painted services – repair and repaint. This is really economical and easy to do.

4. Perk up the front porch – If you have seating – clean and make it useable again. Consider putting seasonal flower near the entrance.

5. Make windows sparkle! – Clean windows inside and out. If your windows on the 2nd & 3rd floor, consider hiring a professional.

6. Empty the clutter drawer or misc. drawer (you know you have one of those!)

7. Clean out the pantry and donate to the local soup kitchen or Salvation Army canned goods that are still in date, but you don’t plan to use.

8. Have carpets cleaned and make all the floors shine like money!

9. Deep clean each bathroom and pay special attention to the showers – work at getting all the stains out!

10. Make sure each light has a bulb that is burning.

11. Add some outside lighting! Too many lights might make it look like a runway, but it needs just the right amount to feel safe and friendly.

 

This list is certainly not exhaustive, in fact, I would appreciate additional suggestions of things to do if you were really moving!

 

Pressing On!

Dwayne

Dwayne Hicks, Broker

Metro West Realty
850 Cedar StreetCarrollton, GA 30117
dhicks@mwestrealty.com
www.westgahome.com (custom home search)
770-836-0042

 
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47 Comments on Pretend You Are Selling Your Home!

20 Most Recent Comments Displayed Show All

JUL
05
254,621 Points 9 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Dwayne- Great list! I'd say weed the flower beds too...thought of that because it's one I need to do. If everyone that was going to sell printed out your list and went one by one they'd be surprised at how great their homes look afterwards.
1:43pm • #31
382,724 Points 8 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Dwayne, you have given us a nice list of items to get started so much so that I am happy that I am not selling my house at the moment. It does take time to prepare. Congrats on the feature.
1:51pm • #32
466,270 Points 50 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

Definitely the front porch and cleanup the front and backyards. Curb appeal makes a difference b/c it's what a buyer first sees. 
2:45pm • #33
478,539 Points 11 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I'm with Tina (#19) - I always suggest a pot of flowers or two on the front porch.  Another thing I suggest is either a new mailbox (if rusted or dingy and hanging on the house) or cleaned up/painted if on a post at the end of the driveway and new numbers on the house and/or mailbox!
5:38pm • #34
1,125,617 Points 90 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Great idea. I am actually replacing a front door and decluttering right now, with the goal to be finished this summer.
5:49pm • #35
1,023,536 Points 15 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I got tired reading your list.  I will be lucky if we can keep up with the dishes, the laundry and get the patio swept.
8:00pm • #36
1,352,178 Points 42 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Dwayne - Do I have to pick just one miscellaneous messy drawer?  LOL.
9:56pm • #37
JUL
06
421,970 Points 16 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

Ambitious list, should make it shine, but they may decide they no longer want to move.

Thanks for sharing this, it is a great checklist.
5:29am • #38
3 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

Eileen - I agree that balance is key to lighting - there is a point that is too much

Amanda - good point about the flower beds - I hate yard work! It's important to curb appeal

Teral - thanks for the kind words. I'm not selling either, but I'm pretending too! lol

Pamela - I agree that the backyard is important as well as the front porch and front yard! good point!

Erica - great summer project. My kids are out of school for the summer and they are a great help, except when they don't want to give their old toys or stuff away!

Gene -I'm with you on that - I try to do one little area at a time. Decluttering my garage about killed me and took a whole Saturday to do!

Christian - I'm determined to get down to only 1 or 2 misc drawers !! :-) (really only 1)

Bob - Thanks for the kind words! I don't want to move - I just want to live in a "showplace"! 

 
6:58am • #39
202,316 Points 11 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

So true so true. Lot's of good tips here. 
7:22am • #40
Called Shot Master

Love it!  When my husband and I had our personal house on the market, it really helped me to understand about walking in the shoes of my clients.  Now, I understand more fully how difficult it is to keep your house "show-ready" at all times, and this list will take care of most of it.  Plus, my husband and I both love the feeling of accomplishment we get from marking things off!!
8:03am • #41

This is a great list for sellers who want to have their home in "showing" condition yet I can see what you mean by putting oneself in the client's shoes. I was exhausted just thinking about the items on your seller-do list. You can see how sellers with young children would have a difficult go of it. Also any senior homeowners might have some trouble as well.
9:31am • #42

This is a good list.  Thank you for sharing it.
11:35am • #43
497,860 Points 13 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Hi Dwayne, good list.  Why pretend?  After all that work sell it!
1:09pm • #44
3 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

Lauren thanks for the kind words and insight from personal experience!

John A - thanks for the positive words too.

John M - I get tired thinking of the clean up especially getting ready for strangers to come look.

Linda, thanks for your kind thoughts.

Bob, I will probably be here a good while longer!! 

 

Thanks all for the comments!

DH
1:25pm • #45
165,788 Points 5 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Dwayne, If we are going to tell our sellers to do this, we should do it to our own homes to get a feel for how much time it will take. Great post. 
2:25pm • #46
3 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

Thanks Barbara - That's actually what got me thinking about it. Thanks for the comment.

 
2:32pm • #47
JUL
09

Clean out the garage and clean the gutters too!
11:50am • #48
JUL
17

I would need to take at least a week's staycation to tackle the guest room. Well, it's technically the guest room, though you can't really see the bed right now. It's the part of the house that has somehow become The Room That Acquires Stuff.

It has been much easier to just keep the door closed and not deal with the stuff. But, you've inspired me to open the door and reuse or reduce.
8:47am • #49
NOV
25
586,100 Points 106 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I'd like to do all this for my house - just to make it more pleasant for those of us who live here. All except the junk drawer part. I have 2 of those and if I cleaned them out I'd be lost. They hold all those little things that don't have a home anywhere else, but that get used almost every day. (OK, yes they do hold other stuff, and I did go through and get rid of the real junk a week or so ago.)
8:38am • #50

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