10 Tips Before Selling Your House

By admin on July 17th, 2008

If you want to sell your house, it’s a good idea to be as prepared as possible. Before you show your house, make sure it looks the best it can, to impress potential buyers. Here are 10 quick and easy tips to ready your home for a buyer to see.

1. Curb Appeal

The outside of your home is as important as the inside. Buyers will see the yard before they see the house. A mangy yard will send them driving right on past your property. Keep the grass cut and the bushes trimmed. Remove any trash or debris from the yard. Consult with a landscape company or a local nursery to find ways to beautify your outdoor areas, including the back yard.

2. Clean The Windows

How many of us actually do this more than once or twice a year? Buyers will be looking to see when you did it last. Windows that tilt in make for easier cleaning. Use a pressure washer for second floor windows.

3. Repaint Any Problem Areas

Paint chips over time. If you have baseboards that are looking shabby or peeling exterior paint, give these areas a fresh coat of paint.

4. Have a Huge Yard Sale

You will need to get rid of anything that clutters closets, the garage, doorways, hallways, and cupboards. To get rid of these things fast, hold a yard sale. What doesn’t sell can be given to charity or taken to the garbage dump.

5. Have Carpets Cleaned

A professional cleaning gives carpets new life. A deep cleaning of the carpets in all the rooms is recommended.

6. Check Your Appliances

Be sure that all major appliances are in good working order. Also read the warranty on each appliance that came with the house. Know when they are about to expire and if you have replaced anything, know when that was done.

7. Clean The Siding

Siding is more durable than paint on newer houses. But siding does get dirty. Pressure washing removes dirt and grime from exterior surfaces. Use it for the garage, windows, driveways, and siding.

8. Replace Light Bulbs And Broken Fixtures

The family may not mind if one globe is out in the bathroom vanity but it is not good for a prospective buyer to see. Make sure all fuses and light switches are working and any broken bulbs have been replaced.

9. Send The Pets Away For a While

Houses that have had pets are hard to sell. Carpet smells and pet dander are still evident even after cleaning. Start early and have carpets and walls cleaned. Restrict pets to carriers or crates in non-carpeted areas of the house.

10. Add Pleasant Smells

You don’t want the place to smell like pets or children, but buyers shouldn’t be overcome by ammonia fumes either. Clean a day or two in advance of an open house. Light candles, use candle warmers, or use plug-in air fresheners to blanket the home in sweet scents that will welcome not repulse any buyers.

Selling a house is a lot of work. You can increase the interest in your house by following these tips so that the house is ready for showing.

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One Response to 󈫺 Tips Before Selling Your House”

MBM Construction on Mar 2nd, 2009 at 2:27 pm

Good steps you’ve laid out. If I may, I would suggest if it’s in your budget to have low-maintenance materials installed. Low-maintenance materials such as, Vinyl siding & composite decking will help to add selling features of your home and will result in a faster sell.

As a builder, I find more of my customers are requesting such products and in fact, I would say roughly 75% of them ask for it.

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