Preparing Your Home for Sale

How Home Preparation Works

Of course, buyers would want to know and see that the home they will be buying is well cared for.  But the thing is, proper maintenance is not enough.  As this is an investment, buyers will be looking for that extra special thing about homes that would entice them and make them want to have it for themselves.  And this is what home preparation does.  It adds to the appeal of your homes, to make buyers want more out of it and not make them satisfied with just viewing everything… but owning what they see as well.

Preparing a home for sale is not magic and meticulous planning would be beneficial.  Aside from the plan, the quality of the improvements and fix ups done lies on the contractor you hire.  Create a list of every area in your home that might need mending or some sprucing up.  With this, prioritize tasks according to urgency and cost-efficiency.  With a well-thought-of plan and the help of a qualified contractor, you are sure to be on the right path to achieving a marketable home.

Clutter Matters

This would be one great turnoff for prospective buyers.  So before putting the home on the market, make sure to:

• Sift through your things and furniture.  For those you have not been using, consider putting them up for sale, or a tax-deductible donation;
• Clear the kitchen counters;
• Store old cars and RVs elsewhere;
• Stow away personal photographs and other displays that might distract the buyer.  While the buyer goes through the house, he should be able to imagine himself living there and these personal stuffs of yours ill not help.
• And as buyers typically love to snoop around, better organize the closets and cabinets.

De-cluttering would definitely be worth well the effort.  While at it, think about de-cluttering as your running start to packing which you would have to eventually tackle later on.  The closets, garage, attic, cupboards and other storage space would seem roomier and moving out would be made easier.

Curb Appeal

When selling a home, first impressions do last.  Never put your house on the market without having boosted the curb appeal.  Not giving much attention to curb appeal might end up with buyers turning on their heels before they even had the chance to peek inside.  Here are top ideas to look into to enhance curb appeal:

• Have the lawn mowed, trees pruned and bushes trimmed.
• Check for cracks and holes and patch as needed.  Common areas to look into include walls, walkways, steps, foundation, asphalt driveway, and patios.
• Clear and align gutters.
• Re-caulk, polish, wash and repaint areas as needed.
• Replace damaged and loose roof shingles.

Enhance Interior

Seeing that everything outside is neat, buyers would anticipate an interesting interior.  To make the house seem to be a great buy, enhance the interior through:

• Repaint walls and change lighting to achieve a welcoming mood.
• Remove extra furniture and furnishings.  Arrange items in a way that makes sense, avoid blocking paths and make moving around easier.  Too much items to put into the showcase would eat up space and make a room feel cramped.
• Check every corner for anything needing repair: leaky faucets, creaky stairs, loose boards, jammed windows and doors and any other small mishap is enough to make the buyer change his mind.
• Bathrooms and kitchens are key selling points.  Spruce up by making things sparkling clean and do not go overboard with your remodeling efforts.

Craftsmen Network,
New York, NY

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 20th, 2009 at 11:02 pm and is filed under General Remodeling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.