As a Realtor, when I go on a listing appointment, I am going to be looking at your house with the eyes of a buyer.  What this means is I or any agent you have come over will be looking at the things that a buyer will be looking at and you can do this too.

When your house is sold, guess what?  You are now a buyer!  What are the items you will be looking at in your next home?  Here's a list to get you started:

• How's the curb appeal (landscaping front/back)?
• Does the house need to be painted?  Inside/Outside?
• How's the flooring?  Does the carpet need replacing/re-stretching?
• Are the appliances working and updated?
• Are there any pet odors?
• How do the light fixtures look?  Are they outdated?  Are there any burnt out bulbs?
• How do the plumbing fixtures look? Outdated?
• Do any of the doors stick or squeak when opened/closed?

     This is just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before selling your house, because you WILL be asking yourself these questions as you look at homes you may want to purchase.  If you think any of these items need to be addressed in your house, then take care of them BEFORE putting your house on the market.  If a buyer sees anything that JDLR (Just Doesn't Look Right) they are going to be thinking of how much money they are going to have to spend IF they buy your house or they will simply reduce their offer to offset the expense and usually they will reduce their offer by more than the true cost of the repairs.

     If you aren't sure if an item should be done, then ask your Realtor.  This is what we do everyday!

David Slavin            www.SellMyHouseDave.com   www.FortBendHomeFinder.com