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First let's look at the outside of the house, the things we call curb appeal. Landscaping makes a huge difference in how people perceive your house. For $3-400 and some healthy work, you can add $1,500-2,000 in value according to studies that have been done. For starters, cut back overgrown bushes that hide your house, plant lots of colorful annuals in the flower beds. Next keep the lawns green and neat and the yard uncluttered. If necessary, buy some fertilizers with a high nitrogen count. They give that yard a blast of green that you can see immediately. Get toys and lawn maintenance equipment out of sight. We want the place to look great from the road.
Next, when people walk to the door, be sure they don't grab wobbly railings, or see torn screens. These things are easy to fix and are so very important they can't be stressed enough. Make sure the outside lights are working, doorknobs and fixtures are in good repair, if not replace them! How about that front door itself? Do we need to stain or paint it? Remember that door is the entrance to your castle, it should be perfect. Finally, wash all those windows, and keep them clean. You can see that we haven't spent much at all on the exterior, but just imagine how much better people will feel as they walk to the front door.
Finally, evaluate the paint, a little touch up on the trim, or exterior walls of the house will be well-spent money.
Next, our prospect walks inside. The operative things to think about now is keep the place clean. If necessary, hire someone, if you can do it fine, but I want you to get down to the basics. Shampoo the carpets, and keep them clean. It's a good idea to buy a bottle of spot remover for those occasional accidents that can happen. Dust daily, people will notice. Also, keep the wood, tile, or linoleum floors shining.
Get the smells out of the air. Open doors and windows daily, if that's not practical use exhaust fans frequently. When you have showings, bake a batch of cookies, or use air fresheners. This isn't cheating it simply makes people feel good and comfortable, and gives your place that homey smell and feel.
The next thing is getting rid of excess clutter. That pile of newspapers in the corner has got to go. Your things that might be a distraction should be packed now. You're moving anyway, so get a head start. We want those rooms to appear as big as we can, so organizing and clearing things out will give people a feeling of spaciousness.
Finally, we want the place to be bright, so paint or wash those walls. With spotless windows and bright walls, those buyers will just fall in love with what you have to offer them.
Remodeling, Deferred Maintenance
You'll notice we didn't speak about remodeling, or deferred maintenance. Remodeling almost never pays off when you are planning to sell. I have done tons of work to my home, but I do it to make me feel good first. If some day it helps with marketing great, but it should be done for your pleasure, not to induce a buyer. Remodeling will never pay for itself in the short term.
Deferred maintenance is another matter. People expect that when they look at a house there shouldn't be any holes in the walls or leaks in the roof. Fix them immediately. Replace the cracked light switch covers, be sure all the light bulbs work. No leaky faucets or leaks under sinks. Buyers will notice, and they will always wonder what else is wrong that they are missing. These repairs may not get you more dollars in the sale price, but I can guarantee you that they will help you sell faster, and that translates to dollars just as well.
Nobody knows your home like you do, all the little things that we all naturally ignore have to be dealt with now that you are going to sell. Most of these jobs aren't expensive, they are just those round to its that we all have. Now is the time to get around to them, the difference could literally mean thousands of dollars n your pocket at the end of the day.
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