5 best home preparations for sale

September 7th, 2010

The 5 best home preparations for selling your home also turn out to be some of the lease expensive things to do.  I found the list below (from Forbs Magazine Article ) to be confirming of the items that I suggest to my home selling clients and also informative.  Brian Santilena Pacific Union Real Estate Oakland-Piedmont CA.

1. Clean up the place

Agreed. Cleaning house is something you can do yourself relatively easily and cheaply, using products you (hopefully!) already have around the house. Do not underestimate the damage a grimy shower or mystery-stained toilet can have on the perceived value of your home.

2. Minor repairs of highly visible items

Fix the outlet that is hanging out of the wall, the door latch that’s askew, the ceiling fan that won’t rotate. Indeed, this is good advice as logically, buyers see your neglect of small things as endemic of neglect in general.

3. Curb your clutter

A cluttered house whose junk falls on prospective buyers as they open closets is much less appealing that one that seems organized. Also, empty space makes a home feel more spacious in general, a home buyers can more easily imagine their own items within.

How many of us have walked through an open house in our socks (or worse, borrowed “booties”) to protect the hardwoods inside? Yet once inside, we’re forced pick our ways through stacks of files and books, pin our arms to our sides so as not to knock over a tremendous collection of Hummel figurines and ceramic cats. We can’t get out fast enough.

4. Paint

Both exteriors and interiors benefit greatly from a fresh coat of paint. Keep in mind though that if you are selling, it may not be a great time to go Van Gogh. Simple, undemanding colors (okay, yes: boring) are the best bet.

To save money on paint, try mis-tints. These you can get at any paint store; they are paint cans filled with custom colors that the original customer didn’t want. Since they are custom, they cannot be re-sold at regular paint prices and you can get a full size cans for just a few dollars. True, most of the custom colors are things like purple-green or mustard-pink, but there are always plenty of whites, beiges, and off-whites. Though these mis-tints weren’t right for some very picky someone, they may be just right for you.

5. Clean up your yard

We don’t need a corn maze or topiary animals, but a few plants that aren’t dead, a swath of grass, and no weeds taller than we are go far in our estimation of your home.

Opinion , Sellers

Author: BrianS

« | Home | »

View Site in Mobile | Classic
Share by: