When listing your home take a walk around and note the following:
- As you walk through your yard, does it appear well groomed?
- Your front door is often the main focal point and also greets the prospective buyers – is it clean and inviting?
- Sparkling clean windows are always a big asset to any home!
- Faded woodwork and older paint on walls reduce the appeal of your home. A small investment in painting will make your home look fresh. Choose a neutral color, such as off white.
- Does the living room present an attractive appearance? Avoid stacks of magazines and stuff laying around… the less cluttered the better.
- Remember a clean kitchen is of utmost importance…making a habit of keeping your dishes washed and out of site.
- Clean bathrooms can help sell your home. Check and repair caulking around tubs and showers. Make the room sparkle, maybe add a few flowers, clean towels and bath mats as you would for a guest. Avoid the laundry room appearance.
- Check faucets for leaks. Dripping water discolors sinks and implies faulty plumbing.
- Ship Shape! Neat and tidy bedrooms with beds made are key. Also no matter how ample your closets are, if they are in disorder, they appear lacking. Closet lights are also a bonus.
- Display the full value of your storage areas. Remove all unnecessary articles. Perhaps now is the time to pack some of those items away. Neatly stacked boxes are better than a cluttered closet.
- Is your garage a catchall? Make your move easier and the garage look better, dispose of those things you were going to give away!
- Let the sun shine in! Open all the drapes, curtains, and blinds and turn on every light when your home is going to be shown, this will show how cheerful your house is.
- Soft music is inviting. If possible have the intercom or stereo tuned to a station of soft music.
- Avoid having pets underfoot – preferably out of the house. Pay special attention to pet odors in the house and air out your home often.
- The lanai is traditionally a place for relaxing and entertaining does your home invite this type of activity.
- Backyards can be a pleasant treat or an eyesore. Take time to trim trees and shrubs if you have not recently.
- Three is a crowd. Avoid having many people present during a showing of your property. The prospect will feel like an intruder and will hurry through the house. And too many people in the house give it a smaller appearance.
Remember an attractive home will more likely sell before a home that is unkempt and run down, always have your home ready to show to that prospective buyer!
