What to do...or Not to Do...Before your List your House...

. We are often asked...what to do or not to do to get a house ready for sale...soooo important to put the "best house forward" right from the entrance of the house on the market...not after a buyer notices the stains on the rug, window that is fogged/broken, woodwork that needs touching up, walls crying for fresh paint. What does the house need to put the "Best House Forward" and get the highest and best price ?

   First of all address...to the best of your knowledge and your experienced agent's...all things maintenance and mechanical. If it is "usual and customary" in your market to do a pre-inspection...please do.  In ours it is not....in some places it is.  This does not mean that the Buyer's inspector will not find something else..it should address concerns that may not be readily identitified by a home seller or their agent.  A little preventive maintenance will erase buyers' fears that the home has not been taken care of and Buyers won't be on the lookout for other issues.

   View the exterior of the house with a critical eye from a missing shingle to touching up trim, securing downspouts, trimming bushes, weed control, a "blooming greeting" of flower pots at the entrance, uneven concrete needing mudjacking, peeling paint and loose deck boards.

 Any appliances that may not have been working well...the ice cube maker...the burner that doesn't burn, washer that skips a cycle...If repair is not possible....you must disclose any malfunction.  If there are warranties, operating manuals, care and maintenance instructions, have them ready for the potential Buyers to review. 

      Clean everything....weather permitting...including having the windows washed...light bright...eye appealing. That includes the inside of the oven and refrigerator, closets...basement cobwebs. 

    Remember you are not buying the house...you are selling it and the wedding photography, baby pictures, collection of miniature...pepto pink princess walls...are a distraction...not an attraction. 

    Stage is the rage...listen to your experienced/agent...stager..Less is more. The object is not to show how much furniture a room can hold but rather how large it is and let the Buyer imagine their furnishings in the house they will call home.

   If you are unsure where to start...and where to end...what could be updated and how...have a discussion with your agent...make the most of your budget..AND do the most of what makes a difference in the eye of the Buyer.

   Remember a Buyer analyzes a house with ALL their senses...that includes a sense of smell...IF the basement smells musty...there are animals..have your agent or some objective person give the house the "sniff test". You may well have developed sensory adaptation and become accustomed to an odor that may well be unpleasant to someone else.  Refrain from cooking things that have a distinct odor...fish, some spices...the "Nose knows" and it may well not agree with your menu selection as being appealing.  Likewise do not attempt to cover it up with highly perfumed....air "fresheners", candles, etc...that can also raise suspicion as to what is being covered up with their use.

   This has been a "Put your Best House Forward" education post brought to you by Sally K. & David L. Hanson, Broker Associates with eXp Realty, honored to be serving southeastern Wisconsin for all things real estate.

 

Sally K. & David L. Hanson, ABR, CDPE, CSS, e-Pro,ILHM, REDS