Are you ready to sell?

Or, more specifically...is your house ready to sell?

I spend a lot of time looking at houses, houses that are on the market and houses almost on the market. Today, I was out looking at houses on the market. Most of the houses were ready to be on market. They were clean...they were orderly...they were pleasant to be in! These houses were ready for market. On our tour two houses stood out.

House #1- this house was BEAUTIFUL! It wasn't staged; in fact it was lived in. But, it was ready for showing. It looked as if they were expecting company...and they were. The "company" expected were prospective buyers and I can tell you, they will feel welcome! The home was clean inside and out. The yard was obviously tended to and the homes exterior was pleasant. Inside the home was charming, clean orderly and not cluttered. Their love for their home came across and, you too, felt at home. Touring this home was a pleasant experience and if you want to sell your home you want your prospective buyers to have the same kind of experience!

House #2- as we pulled up in front of this house the first sight was a car parked in the front yard. In the driveway was another car with a flat tire, which has not been driven on the road for quite some time! The redwood deck in front of the home was in need of refinishing. As we walked in the home the agent began telling us that they were working on the home but, still had some work left to do. The interior of the home had an odd odor which someone had tried to mask with some "air freshener"...not a pleasant sensation. As I looked around the living room I noted a number places where work was unfinished. The bedrooms were dark...the curtains were closed and the lights were turned off. As I walked through this house I found myself looking for problems and unfinished areas. Overall, it was an unpleasant experience. The house felt like it was weeks or even months away from being "ready to sell".

So, what's the point of this story? Get your home ready to sell BEFORE you put it on market! Unless you are in a dire financial situation, spend a little time and a little money getting your home ready. You don't need to hire a decorator and you don't need to remodel the entire house but, a little paint and a lot of "elbow grease" can go along way in getting your house ready.

A couple of other tips:

•·        Open the blinds/drapes/curtains

•·        Turn on your interior lights

•·        Open some windows and let some fresh air in

•·        Have a yard sale and eliminate some of your clutter

•·        Clean the deck

•·        Cut the grass

•·        Have the non-operational vehicles removed

Act as if, you're expecting company and you want to make your best impression!