Selling is a Horse Race

SELLING A HOME IN TODAYS MARKET IS A HORSE RACE

Selling a home is a little like winning a horse race.  To win the race you just have to be a nose ahead of the next best horse!  (Place and show get a ton less money if they come in at all!)

Let me be your trainer today, and we will get ready for a winning race!

Start by cleaning everything.  Twice!

Pack lots of stuff away; de-clutter and clean the garage.  You'll have to pack when you move anyway; you might as well do it now when it might bring you more money.  Besides, it will make cleaning an painting easier.

Containerize (or trash) all that creative work in your home office.

Take extra special care of the puppy.  Buyers will want to be able to overlook the fact that you even have a dog.  Will he be outside or crated during showings?  Better yet, does somebody love him enough to keep him for you until you move?

Clean, clean and clean again.  Everything needs to sparkle.  Remember that you have 3 kids, a dog, a husband and the occasional neighbor's kid in the house, so clean again...And again....  Makes me tired just saying it!  But think of every swipe as money in your pocket!

Outside:

Fill in bare spots in the lawn, replenish the mulch, and plant some flowers. 

Reseal the driveway.

Check the downspouts, fill in any craters and place those "water catchy things" at the bottom to prevent new craters.

Check, repair and paint the fence if it needs it.  (I know you love your art work, but take those plastic strips out of the chain links!)

Get a grip and remove the chain link fence entirely.

Place a couple of stepping stones on any beaten paths that don't have a snowballs chance of growing grass even if the dog is living with your mother-in-law.

How does your mailbox look?

Inside:

Search for imperfections as if you were writing a "punch list" for a new home you were about to buy. 

Put little sticky papers on all painting mistakes, cracks, scratches and dings.   Check baseboards and trim work too.  Step back and decide if you can just do touch-ups, or if you must repaint.  (If you decide not to paint, remove the little sticky papers.  Buy spackling compound to repair the tears left by the masking tape you used instead of the little sticky papers.  Take some consolation in the fact that you never liked the color of that room anyway!)

Clean the kitchen cabinets, stove and hood with a good de-greaser. 

Clean the carpets.

Clean the windows and doors.

Clean every vent and grill in the house.  (don't forget the dryer vent, the kitchen exhaust fan, the heating and AC grills)

Clean every drain pipe.    (Is THAT where that smell was coming from?)

Check for cracked windows, missing latches, torn screens, sticking doors.  (The buyers father-in-law is sure to point out that sticking doors mean the foundation is shifting.  That's going to cost you, big time!)

Repair any chipped tile or missing grout in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry.

Review all the ‘projects' you have undertaken since you bought the house.  In general you can only expect to get top dollar if all your improvements are professional grade.  There can't be any hint  that you are an inspired "do it yourselfer."

Now go online and follow all the other lists you can find of things you absolutely must do before you sell your house.  Well, maybe not!  The point is that you need to pretend you are moving in, not moving out. 

Does your home look like the furnished model at a new home community?  Go to an open house in a nice community near you and carry that feeling back to your home.  You, your kids and your dog all live in the home, but top dollar goes to the home where there is hardly a hint of the kids, and the only sign of the dog is the water bowl.  Otherwise buyers might splurge a little and go for the shiny new home down the street.

Clean some more.   (I HATE CLEANING!!)

Everybody knows that you live in your home, but buyers only want to be aware of how they will feel when they make it theirs.  We are going for the "WOW, THIS IS GREAT" that will bring in the best offers.  That's the ‘win by a nose' that we are looking for in today's horse race of a market. 

Eileen Musser, Realtor

GATEWAY REALTY, INC.

Serving South Central Pennsylvania

1-800-765-3247  ext 545

717-560-5374 office fax

eileen@gatewayrealtyinc.com

717-735-3545 direct office line

717-615-3179 cell phone