There is nothing new on this list that hasn't been emphasized in a number of earlier blog posts but good advice is always worthy of restating. Here are 11 tips to help you sell your home faster:
- Curb appeal – Keep falling leaves and dead shrubs out of the yard! You don’t want a potential buyer’s first vision of your home to be negative (“look how much work it’s going to be to keep up this yard”).
- Front door – At the very least, make sure it’s clean. You may want to replace or paint the front door as this is your potential buyer’s first up close look at the property. Make sure storm doors are clean and that all locks and door handles are tight and functioning. A loose or broken lock gives the wrong impression from the get-go.
- Light – Make sure you home looks spacious and light. If you have darker areas in the house, buy additional lamps for those spaces. Put in full wattage bulbs (check the tag on the lamp neck for maximum allowable wattage) and make sure all bulbs in the house work. When the house is being shown, have ALL lights on, even closet lights and the one over the stove. Light and bright makes your home much more desirable.
- Windows – Open drapes and blinds to let in as much natural light as possible. Take down all worn, torn or broken blinds or drapes. Bare windows look far better than windows with torn or dirty treatments. And make sure windows are clean. Clean windows let in more light, improve the view on the other side, and make the rest of the house feel cleaner.
- De-personalize – You want buyers to see themselves and their family living in the house. It’s important to take down family photos, trophies, collectibles, anything that makes them see this as your home, not theirs.
- Smell / fragrance / odor? – This will be the first thing prospects notice when they walk in. You certainly don’t want the house to smell musty or like last night’s dinner. Scrub well and you may want to consider lemon scented cleaning products and/or burn vanilla scented candles.
- Clutter – No. None. Clean out, throw away and store everything that you can. Now’s the time to get rid of things you don’t want, but don’t replace them! Much better to have your home look open and spacious. You don’t want it to feel crowded or your buyer gets the impression that there won’t be enough space for their things. If you have a lot and can’t get rid of the excess, rent a storage building and take out more than you think you should. You may find you actually enjoy the extra space.
- Bathrooms – Remove everything you use – yes, toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrushes and combs, razor, shampoo, bar soaps, make-up, everything out of the shower and off the vanities. The bathroom should be so clean it sparkles. Hang a new shower curtain – clear or white – and leave it open so the bathroom looks larger. Make sure all light bulbs are working and the highest wattage possible. No one likes a dingy or dirty bathroom.. It’s best to install new toilet seats (very inexpensive) and, if necessary, new faucets and shower-heads. Clean all grout. Great grout cleaners can be found at home improvement stores.
- Kitchen – Remove everything from counter-tops to make the space look as large as possible. Scrub all appliances until they shine. Take everything off the refrigerator – notes, photos, magnets, everything. Make sure cabinets and doors are free from fingerprints. Dated hardware? You can really spruce up your cabinets by replacing the knobs. Check out Habitat for Humanity stores for great deals on cabinet hardware.
- Bedrooms – Neat, clean, beds made, and eliminate clutter. Removing an extra nightstand or dresser may do wonders for increasing the visual space of the room.
- Closets – In every room of the house, clean out closets by throwing out or passing on anything not still being used. Make closets look as large as possible by leaving at least 30% of the space vacant. If necessary, pack up and store what you don’t need now. When buyers open doors, you want them to see plenty of closet space in the home.
