Try looking at your house ―through the buyer’s eyes, as though you’ve never seen it or been there before. Any time or money invested on the following items will bring back more money in return, and hopefully a faster sale. Consider hiring a professional stager to save you time and ensure the best result
INSIDE
Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items.
Clear all unnecessary objects from kitchen countertops, tubs, shower stalls and commode tops. Keep only your most needed cosmetics, brushes, perfumes etc., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels to one or two colors only.
Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary. As owners, many times we have too much furniture in a room. This is wonderful for our own personal enjoyment, but when it comes to selling we need to thin out as much as possible to make rooms appear larger.
- Take down or rearrange certain pictures or objects on walls. Patch and paint if necessary.
- Paint any room needing paint.
- Clean for replace carpets.
- Clean Windows.
- If you need room to store extra possessions, use the garage or rent a storage unit.
- Leave on certain lights during the day. During showings, turn on all lights and lamps.
- Have the stereo set to easy listening music station during the day for all viewings.
OUTSIDE
- Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., into the garage.
- Check gutters for roof moss and dry rot. Make sure they are swept and cleaned.
- Look at all plants…prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows. You can’t sell a house if you can’t see it!
- Weed and then mulch all planting areas. Keep the lawn freshly cut and fertilized. Remove dead plants or shrubs.
- Clear patios or decks of all small items, such as small planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbecues, toys etc. (Put them in the garage or a storage unit.)
- Check the paint condition of the house—especially the front door and trim. Curb appeal really works!
~Courtesy of StagedHomes.com and Barb Schwarz
