San Diego Home Info by Gretchen Pagnotta

5 Steps to Get Top Dollar For Your Home 2

Preparing The Home For  A Sale

Yesterday I blogged on the first step in getting top dollar for your home which is Setting a Realistic Price. Please refer to: http://sandiegohomeinfoblog.com/2010/12/18/5-steps-to-get-top-dollar-for-your-home/ for this blog.  Today I would like to address Preparing the Home For a Sale. I always encourage sellers to visit a model home prior to listing their home.  Models have been decorated by professionals who have the skills to make the homes look spacious and appealing.  These “ticks of the trade” can be adapted by homeowners and any cost will be gained by a higher sales price and faster sale.

Let’s start with some basics:

Curb Appeal is Important

 

 

1. Curb Appeal:  Stand on the street and view the front of the home.  Would you want to knock on the front door and see more.  If not, get busy; plant some color, trim trees that block the front elevation, fertilize grass and trim and mow, power wash the sidewalks and driveway (and house and roof as needed), paint, clean or stain the front door and replace hardware as needed (or polish), wash the light fixtures, make sure door bell is operative, have a new potted plant at entry and a new “Welcome Mat” and paint exterior if there is any sign of chipped, discolored paint on siding or garage door.

2.  Creating a Sense of Space:As you enter the front door take a close look at the furniture arrangement, odors, condition of the walls and flooring.  If the room looks at all crowded and if it is difficult to walk through the room rearrange the furniture or put extra tables, chairs, sofas into storage. Needless to say all clutter needs to go and this includes personal pictures.  You want the clients looking at space and rooms not your prized positions and family photos.  Also any religious articles need to be tucked away.  Paint and carpet are the least expensive items to replace and will bring you their value back twofold so if cleaning does not make things looks fresh call your painter and get some new flooring.  I have found credits for carpet and paint to be less effective than having the work done prior to listing. Clean, clean, clean to eliminate any household odors and show pride of ownership.  All cat/dog supplies need to be put away for showings since not all people are animal lovers. Again, clutter is a distraction so counters need to be cleared.  I find baskets with personal bathroom items are handy and can be stored under sinks for easy access. One basket in the kitchen can hold keys, lists, and other items that seem to gravitate toward the kitchen counters.

Create light and space!

3.Depersonalize:  Continue on the tour of the entire home.  Neutral colors for walls, window coverings and bedding allow the vision of space.  Again, paint is cheap so never hesitate to paint a room and ask family members to cooperate with taking down posters and other wall hangings that are very personal.  Remind the family you are moving and these items can be rescued for your next home.  Most likely they will want a change anyway! Launder all bedding…I also encourage the purchase of new pillows and or all bedding if you have not done so in several years.  You can use whatever you purchase in your next home.  These items are also relatively inexpensive.  My favorite is to use white as much as possible as it looks crisp and clean. remember you want the buyer to focus on room sizes.  Again, especially in small secondary bedrooms put extra furniture in storage.  Clean all closets and take all those items that have not seen daylight in the past year to your local charity.

4. Odor Control:Every home has some odors and not all of them are pleasant.  Prior to showing make sure some windows are open if the season permits.  Scented vanilla candles, potpourri, or diffusers are wonderful to place in a few homes. Try not to overdo it as too much may make the buyer think you are covering up something.  needless to say the pet beds as mentioned before go into the garage or outside for showings.

5. Let There Be Light! I am constantly reminded of the importance of light in a hiome. No one wants a gloomy home.  Even in California we can have homes that appear quite dark due to wood floors, dark carpeting, lack of windows or positioning.  Make sure lights are on for showings and all lighting fixtures have the highest wattage they can safely handle.  Purchase extra light fixtures if you need them.  Again, neutral light walls can make a huge difference as well as minimal sheer window treatments.

Declutter and Clean!

6.  Garage and General Maintenance:Men love to view the garage…their space.  That said this area needs power washing and general decluttering.  It will just mean less to move! If you have a 2 space garage make sure 2 cars can easily fit in the space! If this area is neat and cleaned it also is another reflection of pride of ownership. While in the garage make sure the water heater is properly strapped.  Two more maintenance tasks include changing all furnace filters and batteries in smoke detectors.  You may also want to pick up a carbon monoxide monitor.

This should be a good start for you if you are thinking of selling your home in the near future.  remember , there are no magic homes! Homes that sell at the highest price are initially priced properly, prepared to sell and read my next 3 blogs for additional factors!

If you are thinking of selling your current home and need an opinion of value we are happy to provide this information to you.  We work all over North San Diego County and have more than 25 years of sales success in getting our clients the best price for their home.  In addition we are fun to work with and have countless testimonials available upon request! Our clients become our friends as we treasure committing  and providing  the highest level of ethical and professional service.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Leave a Comment

Home
Search

Your
Value

Subscribe to
this Blog

Email the
Author

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 19th, 2010 at 1:34 pm and is filed under Buyer Info, Seller Info. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply