Your home will appeal to more people and get a higher selling price if it is in
good working condition and shows nicely. Home buyers are looking at your
house with a critical eye... they WILL notice the things that need repair or fixing
and it will affect how they feel about your home. If you want your home to be
looked at favorably, you need to attend to what needs to be fixed or spruced up.
Here is a checklist to get your home in tip-top shape!
Overall appearance (EXTERIOR):
- Remove any junk or clutter from the yard. This includes tree limbs and leaves,
but especially goes for junk and things stored around your yard.
- If the exterior of the house is dirty or moldy, powerwash it. If it is in need of
paint, get competitive bids if you can't do it yourself.
- Grass: If possible, reseed any bare areas of the lawn.
- Landscaping: Trim all shrubbery and plantings. Trim trees if necessary,
especially dead limbs.
- Driveway: If the driveway is stone and looking lean, add a coat of gravel. If it
is asphalt, consider resealing.
- Decks and porches: Powerwash and seal, stain or paint.
- Gutters and downspouts: Check gutters and downspouts to make sure they are
clear and functioning properly.
- Lights: Make sure that all exterior lights are operational.
- Landscaping: If the season is right, plant colorful flowers where appropriate.
- Landscaping: Add mulch to planting beds and around trees. An inexpensive but
very effective way of freshening the look of the yard.
- Windows: Make sure the exterior (and the interior) of windows is clean and
operational.
Overall appearance (INTERIOR):
- Painting: When it comes to preparing a house, painting gives you the best
return for money spent. Which rooms should you paint? Any that have dirty or
marked walls or any rooms that are currently painted in dark colors. Keep it
neutral--offwhite or antique white is the best.
- Carpeting: At the very least, all carpeting needs to be steam cleaned. Any worn,
stained or foul smelling carpet should be replaced. You may be tempted to give
a "carpet allowance" and that may work. Just remember, most buyers do not
have vision.
- Operation: If you are not having a whole house inspection done, check all
faucets, toilets, and electrical items for correct operation.
- Safety: Make sure that your house is safe. Not only can a wobbly railing stop a
sale, it could also cause an injury to a potential buyer who is not familiar with
your house (and is spending time looking instead of being careful).
- Clutter: If an item is not necessary for your day-to-day life, box it up and store
it or throw it out!
- Fireplace: Have a professional fireplace or woodstove cleaning and inspection.
The buyer will most likely request it anyhow. Getting it done in advance
impresses the buyer and makes the home appear cleaner and fresher smelling.
- Closets: Make sure all closets are neat, clean, and organized. Once again, if you
don't need it for day-to-day life, box it up and get it out!
- Doors and Windows: Check all for smooth operation. Replace any cracked
window panes.
- Cleaning: Even though you may consider your house clean and tidy, a thorough
cleaning--including dusting, washing, and waxing everything--will always make
a house more appealing.
- Check the lighting in each room. Well lit rooms are more appealing. Put 100
watt bulbs in each room (make sure that the outlets/lighting fixture can handle a
100 watt bulb)
- Go around your house and remove many of your "personal" items.
Prospective homeowners want to envision themselves in the home - your
personal pictures and knick-knacks interfere with that vision. Box up your
personal effects and get ready to move!
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