Tips to Prepare Your Home

Goals of Home Preparation

  • Should be fit and attractive to buyers.
  • Avoid distraction and disappointment
Important Areas

  • Curb Appeal 

  • Clean, Vacant, Staging 

  • Front door and door hardwares

  • Paint, replace or clean carpets and floors

  • Kitchen: counters, appliances, and cabinets

  • Bathrooms

Preparation Services 
 
Depending on your budget and timeframe, I provide services from cleaning, packing, disposing of furniture; simple landscaping designing and installation; to organizing and supervising projects done by professional vendors. 
You only get one opportunity to make a good impression, so you want to make it count. By following these guidelines, you’ll enhance the attractiveness of your property and reduce the time it takes to generate serious offers.
First Impressions

How your property appears from the outside is important. To make a good first impression on a buyer, a clean driveway, a freshly mown lawn or a trimmed hedge will work wonders.

Do a critical inspection of the exterior of your property, paying special attention to the condition of your windows, shutters, screens and gutters. One of the first things a buyer will notice is the need for painting. If your property looks like it needs painting, many buyers will form an unfavorable impression. Elsewhere, little things count. Make sure the front door is spotless, including the doorknob, and that the windows gleam.

Cleanliness Counts

Once inside your property, one of the key factors that influences its appeal to a buyer is cleanliness. Most important is front hallway, the kitchen and the bathrooms. Do a room-by-room cleaning, and don’t forget any out-of-sight areas because that’s often where a discriminating buyer will look first.

The state of the carpets can also be a determining factor. At the very least, have your carpets cleaned, and if they are worn, it’s wise to replace them, or remove them if there is hardwood underneath.

Less is More

Clutter makes a poor impression. In closets, cabinets, kitchen countertops and other storage areas like basements, remove anything not needed for daily housekeeping. To make each room in your property look larger, get rid of or donate unnecessary furniture. Walk through your property and think: “Less is more.”

Repairs

Make sure everything is in good working order. Dripping faucets, squeaky steps and loose doorknobs can easily create a bad impression and reduce the value of your property. A few hours spent on repairs, whether by yourself or a tradesman, can pay big dividends when an offer is made.

Little Things Count

It’s easy to improve the appearance of any room. You may want to replace worn rugs or small pillows, put new towels in the bathroom or brighten up a room with a vase of flowers.

Pull Together

Get all the members of your household to pull together when it comes to getting – and keeping – your property ready to view. By getting everyone into the habit of spending a few minutes tidying up every morning for an afternoon showing, you improve your chances considerably.
  1. Entry door replacement: 96.6 percent
  2. Deck addition (wood): 87.4 percent
  3. Attic bedroom: 84.3 percent
  4. Garage door replacement: 83.7 percent
  5. Minor kitchen remodel: 82.7 percent

Renovations that yield the smallest return

  1. Home office remodel: 48.9 percent
  2. Sunroom addition: 51.7 percent
  3. Bathroom addition: 60.1 percent
  4. Backup power generation: 67.5 percent
  5. Master suite addition: 67.5 percent

References:

1. Poor curb appeal: Much is made of curb appeal, and for good reason: It’s your home’s handshake, the critical first impression that lasts with most buyers. Every little detail counts.
  • Totally trim and edge your yard to get it into the most immaculate condition you can.
  • Freshly mulch the beds and trim the trees.
  • Power-wash the exterior
  • Don’t leave mud dauber and wasp and bird’s nests in your eaves and above your doors.
2. Dirt: The home should be neat and clean and free of all debris. Nothing turns off a buyer quicker than a dirty house.
  • Steam-clean tile and grout
  • Replace old and smelly carpets, shampoo relatively new carpets
3. Odors: Make sure your home smells fresh and inviting. It’s said buyers buy with their noses.
  • Kitchen: Don’t cook fried food, fish or greasy food while the house is on the market.
  • Living room: has the most fabric, so that is where odors get absorbed.
  • Pet Plan”: Eliminate all traces of pets, not just pet odors. Make sure the pets are not around when the house is shown.
  • Smoker Plan”: Remove all ashtrays, clean all curtains and upholstery, and consider smoking outdoors while your home is on the market.
4. Clutter: Whether inside or out, less is more when it comes to clutter.
  • Closets should be half-full with nothing on the floor.
  • Kitchens and built-in bookshelves should showcase spaciousness by following the rule of three. For kitchens, there should be no more than three counter top appliances. Meanwhile, bookshelves should be divided into thirds: one-third books, one-third vases and pictures, and one-third empty.
  • The home office should be very generic so any type of professional can imagine living there. It should also be easily changed into another use such as a bedroom.
  • Kid room: pack away extraneous “kiddie litter” and keep a laundry basket handy.
5. Too many personal items
  • Eliminate personal items, including family photos, personal effects and even unique colors.
  • Place a mirror strategically so that people can actually see themselves in the home, so they can actually picture themselves living there.
6. Snoopy sellers: buyers alike generally bristle when the seller greets them at the door for a showing.
  • Provide convenience for showing.
  • Avoid meeting with potential buyers
7. Misrepresenting your home Don’t raise buyers’ expectation too high online.