Do I Really Need To Complete The Honey-Do List Before I sell my South Central Missouri Home?

Reblogger
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Debbie DiFonzo - United Country VIP Realty, SW Missouri

My friend and fellow United Country broker, Irene Gaffigan in Vermont, has written a wonderful post about what projects to undertake when selling your home. Irene provides a short list of the project you DO want to complete and mentions a few that you should NOT complete! (Don't tile around the sky light in your bathroom!)

I love what Irene has to say about paint - Paint is relatively inexpensive and can really give a home the pick-me-up it might need to mark the property SOLD! Most buyers love the look and even the smell of fresh paint!

Thinking of Selling in Lebanon MO, Marshfield MO or Buffalo MO? If so, give me a call. Let's go through Irene's list, let's see what you can cross off that list!

United Country VIP Realtyin Lebanon MO 417-532-2031 or in Marshfield MO 417-468-5900

 

Original content by Irene Gaffigan

Do I Really Need To Complete The Honey-Do List When Selling My Okemo Mountain Home?

That is the question all Okemo Mountain home owners should ask themselves when they consider selling their home.

The first item on the fix-it list: clear the clutter! If your closets, attic, basement, garage, and other storage areas appear neat, half-full and organized, your house will seem to have more storage space. To accomplish the clutter - clearing task, empty the house, hold a garage sale, and use the profits to help offset the next set of fix-it priorities.

Check your house for "curb appeal". The exterior is the first impression a prospective buyer has of your home. Make it as inviting as you can. Think of it as outside decorating. Clean (or paint, if necessary) the exterior, re-sod brown spots and crab grass, mow the lawn, pull weeds, remove dead trees or plants, and trim the shrubs.

Flowers give warmth and personality to a home. Plant them tastefully in pots or beds at the entrance, on decks and around patios. If it isn't flower season, at least clean the beds, remove the dead leaves, and cover the ground with fresh wood chips or other clean looking mulch.

If you have a limited budget, make the most of it. Put the money where it is most obviously needed and the return the greatest and most visible.

Fix Little Things

Take care of the little obvious things: fix leaking faucets, stop running toilets, replace broken windows, kill pet or mildew odors, repair holes in screens, remove mildew from tile, and re-caulk around bathtubs and sinks. Walk around; look at your house with a prospective buyer's eyes. Small things tell buyers whether or not a house has been maintained. 

Paint it! 

A coat of light-colored, neutral paint-white or off-white-will make your home's interior look crisper, cleaner, and also larger. Many buyers may not be able to imagine their sofa in your decor. White interiors work for the greatest number of people without their having to redecorate immediately. If you just moved, would you want to redo every room?

Your Carpeting

If the carpet is in reasonable condition, have it shampooed. If it is worn, threadbare or a non-neutral color, consider replacing it with beige or gray. You do not need to purchase the best quality money can buy. Lifetime wear is not required. You want it to look great now. Neutral walls and carpet do not offend anyone. Almost all furnishings look good with them. Rental property managers know this and have been doing it for years.

Professional Inspection

Consider having your house inspected by qualified inspector. Safety- and health-related items, such as radon and electrical problems could kill a sale if not properly attended to. It is much better to fix these items on your own time schedule and financial terms than hurriedly during a contract negotiation. Roof leaks, even if inactive, are also deal breakers.

What else do you fix amongst the inspector's flagged items? Unless you can realistically get money back, fix only the problems with major systems. You want to keep your home's selling price as low as possible to increase the pool of buyers.

Do not undertake any major remodeling in preparation for sale. It places more limitations on the size of your buyer pool. Tastes vary, and some people will dislike the results of your efforts. You will have to raise your selling price to reflect your fix-up investment, thereby pricing your home out of the range of other potential buyers.

A neutral color scheme in a house that sparkles brings you the highest return in the shortest time when selling your Okemo Mountain home. 

Learn more about Okemo Mountain real estate at ISellVermontRealEstate.com or give us a call, 800-659-1819 #103.

Search all Okemo Mountain homes for sale

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Comments (6)

TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc.
Complete Home Inspections, Inc. - Brentwood, TN
Home Inspectons - Nashville, TN area - 615.661.029

Debbie I have so many to do lists it ain't funny. I generally put them in a 55 gallon drum and wait until this time of year and then I pull one out, light it and then put it in with the others. Funny how warm they can make you feel...

Oct 25, 2008 09:20 PM
Debbie DiFonzo
Debbie DiFonzo - United Country VIP Realty, SW Missouri - Lebanon, MO
Lebanon MO and Buffalo Missouri Real Estate

Michael - The visual is perfect! And, I'd say my husband will be jealous he didn't think of an idea like that!

Oct 26, 2008 03:30 AM
Cheryl Willis
RE/MAX Solutions- OZARK MISSOURI - Mount Vernon, MO
MO Broker - Mt Vernon, Monett, Aurora, Barry & Law

Michaels comment reminds me of how I pay bills,  

I need to re-blog your re-blog sometime.  be good cw

Oct 26, 2008 02:50 PM
Michelle Tucker ~ Pooler Real Estate
!Daley Real Estate - Pooler, GA
Rincon~Savannah~Richmond Hill

Debbie:  The list your friend has put together is a great tool to give to home owners trying to sell their home.  I am going to put something together on the same topic for home sellers.  Thank you for your sharing your reblog.

Oct 26, 2008 03:39 PM
Benjamin Clark
Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - Salt Lake City, UT
Buyer's Agent - Certified Negotiation Expert

Anything you can do that will show the home better is helpful. Just make sure it really is an improvement. I have seen some sellers do some terrible things to a home just before selling and then they try and point it out as an upgrade.

Patch the holes in the walls, clean up and trim the yard, fix anything that's broken, etc. etc. Unless there is something terribly outdated that is preventing the sale, let the new owners do the upgrade and just lower your price accordingly...

Oct 28, 2008 05:58 PM
Robin Scott
Robin Scott, REALTOR® - Austin, TX
Broker, CRS, ABR, SRS, REALTOR® - Austin Texas

Debbie, thanks for reposting. Yes, sellers need to complete the honey-do list. There is too much competition not to. When my seller's do the list, the home sells quickly. When they don't do the list, we reduce, reduce, reduce.

Nov 28, 2008 10:57 AM

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