Getting Ready to Sell

Is your home ready to be put under the microscope?

Surveys have said that the first 5 seconds of someone arriving at your home are critical. Never take for granted the value of 1st impressions.

What needs cleaning, painting, moving, repairing, staging? Your list should include all the visible items and the invisible items. Some of the invisible stuff may be;

• Loose door/cabinet handles
• Loose or broken cabinet hinges
• Leaking taps
• Running toilets
• Noisy rattling fans, noisy rattling furnace
• Dim lighting
• Sticky windows
• Sticky doors
• Loose hand rails
• Cluttered closets…people do open them!
• SMELLS… smoke,mould, pet & cooking…all have an effect on buyer appeal and value
• Loose or missing shingles on roof
• A gate that won’t open without difficulty

Emphasis should be made with the kitchen and bathrooms…this is what sells the house. Must be clean, must be de cluttered, must be in good repair.

Don’t forget the basement and garage. Clean, swept and organized.

The exterior of the home should be free of clutter, no peeling paint, fixed fences/gates, clean driveway with no oil stains, gardens trimmed, lawn mowed, driveway shoveled, pathways clear.

You might be surprised, but it can make a huge difference with a clean and freshly painted front door and trim, with an arrangement of flowers, or some kind of ornament flanking the entry.

View your home from a buyer’s perspective. With a critical eye, walk through the home as if you were buying it. Take a note pad with you. Your 4 senses should be alert. What do you see, smell, hear, touch?