Preparing a house for sale: Do the C’s to get the most C (Cash)

Preparing a house for sale: Do the C’s to get the most C (Cash)

People will always ask, what can they do to improve the marketabllity of their property in order to get the best price. We will walk with them throughout the house, point to several things that need attention. Sellers take notes. Is there an easy way to remember what to do?

Here’s an easy chart to show what sellers need to know, where to get the information, and what they can do.

Do the C’s, and the seller can count on getting another C -- more CASH!

The C’s	Description
Clean	Major clean up. Does anyone not understand what “clean" means?   See How to Clean Practically Anything. A house should look clean, it should also smell clean. Get rid of unpleasant odors such as tobacco smell, pet “accidents”, lingering food smells like fried fish or days old garbage that needs to be thrown out.
Clutter	There should be practically none. I tell my sellers to get rid of at least 50% of what they have in the house. Store, sell, give away -- whatever. Just get them out of the house. They should pack to move anyway, so they might as well start now. For practitioners of feng shui, you may want to take a look at Mary Lambert’s “The Declutter Workbook” . This gives excellent tips and an actual checklist on what to purge to regain needed space both inside and outside the house. “Less is more” translates to less clutter is more appealing to the potential buyer
Color	We always say that colors should be neutral.  That’s the safest way to tackle this. A touch of accent colors can’t hurt, but the wrong colors can. Here’s a link to an article that has some really good ideas on Interior Paint Colors That Help Sell Your Home The article says “According to HomeGain's Prepare to Sell 2009 national survey, the average price to paint interior walls is $500 to $750, but that increases a home price by an average of $1,500 to $2,000 -- which can be a 250 percent return on investment.”
Condition	There are all kinds of resources but they all boil down to doing some essential repairs. We already know to replace burnt-out light bulbs, replace broken or rusty fixtures, replace/repair broken windows and doors, etc. MSN’s Real Estate section itemizes the 10 Must-Do Repairs Before Selling
Curb Appeal	Realtors know that our buyers will decide within SECONDS of seeing the exterior of a house whether to even go in or drive away. Curb appeal is a combination of many things that again incorporates the other C’s: color, condition, clutter and clean. Messy front yard? Terrible exterior? Garish color? These are all turn-offs. HGTV has several ideas about Creating More Curb Appeal
Cost of improvement	Choose your battles.  Decide on a budget as to how much you’re willing to spend, and see what you can expect to recoup. An excellent resource is Remodeling Online’s annual Cost vs Value --- it even provides regional costs

Preparing a house for sale: Do the C’s to get the most C (Cash)