If you’re considering listing and selling your property or home in the Columbus Ohio area there are some things you should know about before putting the home on the market. Simply throwing a sign up in your front yard may attract local buyers but if you’ve not completed these crucial steps, you might lose the buyers at the door.
Here are five things every seller must do:
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Be honest on the sellers disclosure form.
When listing your home or property in Columbus Ohio you will need to fill out a sellers disclosure form. This paperwork will inform buyers of any damage, repairs, or issues the property has had since you’ve owned it. This information will also tell buyers if you are aware of any lead-based paint if the home is older than 1978. If you are selling a home that’s older than 1978, it’s likely to have had lead-based paint in the past but has since been painted over possibly numerous times. So unless you’re sure that the home has lead-based paint it’s best to check the ‘unsure’ or ‘no’ box. Any other repairs, major damage, or renovations will need to be disclosed if you know them. If you know something that you don’t disclose and buyers find out about it later it could result in a lawsuit.
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The home must be kept in decent condition while listed and prior to closing.
Any garbage, furniture, or vehicles must be removed before closing. If anything is damaged between the time of inspection and closing, the sellers can be liable. This is why a final walk-through for buyers is essential. The home cannot have any major renovations or changes while it’s pending.
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Don’t neglect curb appeal.
The inside of your home may be immaculate but if buyers can’t get by the brown lawn, overgrown trees and shrubs blocking sidewalks and front entryways, they won’t see that immaculate home. Keep the curb appeal under control by edging and trimming lawns and shrubs, keep lawns green by giving him a good dose of nitrogen, and add flowers to the front steps four and inviting look.
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Fix it, repair it, or replace it.
If your home has had numerous eyesores that just haven’t been corrected over the years, now is certainly the time to tackle them. Any little thing that has gone unnoticed or unfixed needs to be addressed before listing your home. Leaky faucets, squeaky doors, broken blinds, damaged screens, and missing baseboards; all our little details that homeowners can tend to live with and neglect over time. Everything needs to be perfect for a move-in ready home.
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Consider staging or having a professionally staged.
Buyers are looking at model showroom homes and if you want to compete you need to offer a comparable look. If you’re unsure as to where to start simply tour some of these model homes, take pictures and make notes on how to improve the layout, flow, and design of your home. Just a few accent pieces are better than hundreds of knickknacks or overcrowded collections. Keep decor neutral, colors warm and inviting, and the layout smooth and clutter free.
These are just a few tips for sellers but for more specifics on your particular home in the Columbus area call me today. I would be happy to offer you a free listing presentation on comparable prices, tips to staging, and how we could get your home listed and sold quickly.
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