In preparing your home for sale the first comment I want to say is do not plan on major renovations. Yes, I may be the first realtor to tell you this, but unless you have ceilings and walls falling, door hanging off the hinges, you don't need to call a professional to give you a new kitchen or bath. If you are planning to stay there for the next 7 + years OK, but otherwise hold off.. Just some simple upgrades and meeting current trends will make all the difference in preparing the home for sale. Let's dress that home up and sell it
A thorough cleaning, a fresh coat of paint and yard grooming are the ABC's of preparing for a sale. First impressions are important and a neat, clean look gives a good first impression to buyers. You want the buyer to get that first impression from the point of stepping on your sidewalk to point of walking through your front door. The first 15 seconds are actually setting points of how they will view the rest of the home. Remember this is about mindset, very similar to a job interview an setting a first impression. Haven't you ever done this yourself the first time you visited a friend's home?
So here we go. Plan a yard sale, or a tax-deductible donation to remove old furniture and toys, appliances and other clutter material. Your attic, garage, closets, cupboards and storage space will look so much bigger, and moving will be easier for you,
- A newly painted wall (in a light or neutral shade) is a canvas to the eye of prospective buyers; and clean windows brighten and enlarge each room. New paint indoors or out is usually approved by the IRS for deduction if completed and paid for near the time of sale.
- A well-clipped yard - free of scattered toys - allows viewers to focus on the neatness of the home.
- Bathrooms are a key selling point. Fix dripping faucets and repair any caulking cracks. Consider having the tub refinished if it needs it. How does the grout look? Can it be cleaned or re-stained?
- Replace broken gutters and shutters.
- New floor coverings (in neutral shades) on kitchen and bathroom floors may be another affordable investment which can speed a sale by appealing to buyers' desire for a property that is ‘ready to move in,' particularly if the current style of colors are dated.
- Repair broken woodwork, loose planks, and creaky stairs. No buyer wants a home that needs structural repairs.
- Hardwood floors are a plus. If you have hardwood floors, consider removing the floor covering, especially if the carpet is worn.
- Kitchen cabinets wear and loose color. Consider having them refinished and not replaced. Change the hardware on your cabinets. Brushed metal is very popular now.
- Kitchen countertops. Here is a tough one. Are the counter tops current to what you see in your local home depot?
- Update lighting in hallways, baths, dining room and if needed the kitchen. Current lighting trends you can see from going to a local home depot or touring new home on the market.
If you are prepared to invest some money to improve your home's presentation, start with the most cost-effective projects and remember to keep a journal of jobs and receipts. Home improvement costs are often deductible (when costs are incurred 90 days before the sale and paid within 30 days after the sale). While lawn mowing and weekly cleaning bills do not qualify according to IRS regulations, new paint, a new water heater, or new gutters usually do apply. You may want to reconsider more ambitious jobs, however, if you are thinking of selling the home any time soon. While bathroom and kitchen up-grades generally help appreciation, not all home additions will add value to the property - other than that value which you personally enjoy. Not everyone wants a swimming pool that could be a safety hazard for young children, or an island kitchen design that restricts kitchen traffic flow. A new deck may recoup its installment costs, but new kitchen cabinets come in a variety of designs and styles that the buyer should choose.
In staging the home for sale:
• Depersonalize the space by removing family photos, trophies, posters, etc. Buyers will be more attracted to your house when they can imagine themselves living there.
• Clear high-traffic areas of excess furnishings to maximize feeling of space.
• The decluttered rooms may appear bare to the seller, but the buyer won't think so. Remember, we are not selling your things.... We are selling the space
• Decide from the doorway. Since would-be buyers will get their first impression of each room from the doorway, homeowners should use that perspective to judge their staging work. "Do your work, go back to the doorway. Do some more, go back to the doorway
• Highlight key features in each room, and make sure they are not obscured by plants or furnishings
• You would place three items-say, a lamp, a plant, and a book-on top of a larger hard surface, like an end table. "You take away the plant and the book, it's too bare," she says. "[But if] you put 10 things on it, it's overdone." The three items should be closely grouped together in a triangle shape. "I draw a triangle for my clients,"I say, 'Here is the end table-let's superimpose a triangle on top of it.' "For hard surfaces with less area, however, a single item will do.
• A properly staged home should be immaculate. The purpose of ensuring the house is spotless is more than simply making it presentable. If a home is unkempt, a buyer will wonder what other, less visible problems may come with the property.
Hope these ideas help. Now call your agent and go sell that home!!
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