Joyce Logan

The buyers are waiting to see your home!

If your home will attract more of first time home buyer, your buyer must be in contract by April 30, 2010. There is no time like the present to get your home listed with a licensed real estate professional.

If your home has been on the market for awhile, it's time for a fresh perspective!

Here's a few tips to keep your home attractive to potential buyers during a snowy day:

* Keep your home temperature comfortable. If your home is too cold, buyers are going to rush out of the home. Warm and cozy is the feeling you want to portray.

* Turn on the lights and open the shades. You don't want a dark dingy house. So put in a little higher watt bulb, turn on all the lights. Home buyers want welcoming homes.

* Don't close off rooms and have them colder than the rest of the house. The temperature should be even throughout the house. You will be giving the home buyers something to worry about.

* If you have added insulation or have low heating bills put out that information so the prospective home buyers can read it. You can get a history of your heating bills from your utility company.

* If you cover windows with plastic, take it down. It shows that the house is not well insulated. It is better to spend the money on a few new windows than to scare the buyers that the house is drafty.

* Have a gas fireplace? Turn it on. Nothing like coming in out of the cold and seeing a warm fire. Again you are trying to give that warm cozy feeling! If you can't be home to do this before the showing, ask your Realtor to call the showing agent and ask that she gets there early if possible.

* Bake some cookies or light a chocolate chip cookie candle or cinnamon smelling candle.

* Last but not least. SHOVEL YOUR SNOW!!!!! Make it easy and safe to get in and out of your home. Trudging through the snow or slipping on the ice is not the way to give a good first impression.

Here's a few tips to help you get your home ready to list:

Disassociate Yourself With Your Home.

* Make the mental decision to "let go" of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.

* Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners! Say goodbye to every room. Don't look backwards -- look toward the future.

De-Personalize.
Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can't see past personal artifacts, and you don't want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can't do that if yours are there! You don't want to make any buyer ask, "I wonder what kind of people live in this home?" You want buyers to say, "I can see myself living here."

De-Clutter!
People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven't used it in over a year, you probably don't need it.

* If you don't need it, why not donate it or throw it away?

* Remove all books from bookcases.

* Clean off everything on kitchen counter

* This of this process as a head start on the packing you will eventually need to do when your home has sold!

Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets.
Buyers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well. This means:

*Alphabetize spice jars.

* Neatly stack dishes.

* Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.

* Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.

* Line up shoes.

Rent a Storage Unit.
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don't want buyers scratching their heads and saying, "What is this room used for?"

Remove/Replace Favorite Items.
If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, she won't want it. Once you tell a buyer she can't have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.

Make Minor Repairs.

• Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
• Patch holes in walls.
• Fix leaky faucets.
• Fix doors that don't close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
• Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls.
  (Don't give buyers any reason to remember your home as "the house with the orange bathroom.")
• Replace burned-out light bulbs.
• If you've considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!

Make the House Sparkle!

• Wash windows inside and out.
• Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
• Clean out cobwebs.
• Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
• Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
• Clean out the refrigerator.
• Vacuum daily.
• Wax floors.
• Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
• Bleach dingy grout.
• Replace worn rugs.
• Hang up fresh towels.
• Bathroom towels look great fastened with ribbon and bows.
• Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no.

Scrutinize.

• Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you?
• Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer.
• Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense.
• Make sure window coverings hang level.
• Tune in to the room's statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and pizzazz?
• Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You're almost finished.

Check Curb Appeal.
If a buyer won't get out of her agent's car because she doesn't like the exterior of your home, you'll never get her inside.

• Keep the sidewalks cleared.
• Mow the lawn.
• Paint faded window trim.
• Plant yellow flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow evokes a buying emotion. Marigolds are inexpensive.
• Trim your bushes.
• Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.

I hope you find this helpful. Please call me if I may be of further assistance!

Joyce Logan, Licensed Realtor, HER Real Living, Ohio

If you are looking for a quality, custom built home....then look no further. I represent Romanelli & Hughes in Westerville, Ohio and we have homes and condominiums in the following areas for you/your buyers: Westerville, Columbus, Dublin, Powell, Plain City, Galena, Blacklick and New Albany.

You may view the Romanelli & Hughes website for more information at: www.rh-homes.com.

I will be glad to assist if you would like to contact me directly at 614.301.8714

Best wishes in finding your new home!

Joyce Logan, Realtor Real Living HER