Make those Quick Fixes Now and End up with extra $$$$

I show houses all the time that could garner a lot more interest and dollars with just a few quick fixes by the owners.  Here are my top 5 for homes to sell faster in this cooling market:

 

1. Clean up the front door, it is the main focal point on the house.  Polish the brass, at least remove the cobwebs and leaves.  Repaint the front door if the paint is fading.  Add a new doormat update the mailbox and put out a fresh pot of flowers.  Mums are great this time of year on either side of the door.
2. You are moving, remove the clutter.  Take out everything personal, people are not buying you, they are buying the house.  Personal pictures just distract them from your home and open an entirely new conversation that could result in them not buying the house.  Get some space at a storage facility and put the extra items there.  You are moving anyway, this will make it easier to make the move.  People see your space as theirs and if it is overcrowded with extra items they will think theirs will look that way too.
3. Remove the heavy window treatments and let the sunshine in.  I can't tell you how often the buyer just walks out saying "It is too dark" when really the house is not dark, it is just the solid window treatments.  You are better off with just light blinds then window treatments in this market.
4. Organize your closets and if necessary install closet systems that make your closets feel organized and not cluttered.  This will help the buyer see themselves as organized living in the house and is an inexpensive way of making the house feel more spacious to a buyer.
5. Have all of the floors professionally cleaned and polished.  If wood floors, there are great refinish processes that can make them feel like new for very few dollars.  If the carpet is worn or dirty and stained, take it out and replace it.  The money you spend to replace the carpet pales in comparison to the buyers you are losing with the old dirty carpet.

You truly only get one chance to make a first impression.  Little things make a big difference.  Go to the curb and stand and look at your house all the way through just like it was the first time you saw it and make the little changes that will bring you good market time and more money.  These little things really count.