Is Danger Lurking in your Home?
In the process of selling your home, one thing often overlooked is safety. There are good reasons to view safety as a major issue. When your house is on the market you have opened the door and invited people into your home. Some will bring their children along. Others looking at your home could be elderly or have issues walking or climbing stairs. While nothing is completely without the possibility of an issue, getting your home ready is very important. Nothing could be worse than a safety issue while having a showing. You also want potential buyers to see the home as warm and inviting, not a place that needs fixing just to make it safe for their family
It is easy to establish a safe, comfortable environment. Just look around your home from a different perspective. Start with the view from the eyes of a child. Nobody expects baby proofing your home, but a few basics will enhance the quality of a showing. The goal is to allow buyers to envision themselves moving in stress free and into their new home.
Use this list when walking around your home and see if your home would meet the test. Others may come up when you are actually doing a walkthru. This can be done prior to listing for a great first impression on new buyers. As a listing agent when I first tour a home I take notes on any issues that I see needing a quick fix.
- De-clutter the hallways… and especially any stairway.
- Electrical wires should not be hanging and out where anyone can trip.
- Furniture should be placed so that there is a flow to walk around.
- No small knickknacks and breakables out for either adults to bump, or children to drop.
- All medicines should be safely tucked away. Nothing on the nightstand to cause a problem
- Make sure all surfaces are smooth. No loose tile or hardwood, and carpets may need to be stretched back into place.
- Are handrails secured on stairwells?
- Walkways and steps to the home should be clear and smooth.
- Put away toys, they can be a distraction, and that tiny teacup or action figure can cause someone to trip and fall.
- Make sure that any home with a pool has all proper gates and alarms.
Every home has different needs when it comes to a safety plan. Take a look around the home, on the inside and out. Be critical as to what could be the potential source of a safety issue. Keep in mind that buyers don’t expect major renovations to meet more unusual needs, but a basic sense of safety is important. From this point of view your showings should be easy and without incident. You have enough things to think about and SAFETY is something that once you get it right, will allow you to relax. It’s great to have the peace of mind that you took the time and made a plan. Next on the agenda when selling your Newburgh NY Home?... being able to say SOLD!
Janis Borgueta is a Realtor in Newburgh NY. Her blog is about living, working and Real Estate in The Hudson Valley. If you would like more information about Real Estate in Newburgh NY and Living in the Hudson Valley, please subscribe to this blog. When you are looking to buy a new home....Search the MLS for New Homes in Newburgh NY
This post was originally published at MyHudsonValleyProperties~ News. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog to keep updated with the latest Hudson Valley Real Estate, Community News and Homes on the market.
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