Preparing Your Home for Sale

For many of us, our home is our largest single asset. Buyers are looking at more than just one home. In order to prepare your home to get the highest price in the quickest time, the HomesGreaterAtlanta Team offers the following tips on preparing your home for sale:

1. Look at your home’s curb appeal … the way someone driving by will see it. You only get one chance at a first impression, so make yours good. Keep the lawn groomed. If you are out of town, hire someone reputable to do this for you. Don’t forget to trim shrubbery, edge driveways and sidewalks, mulch trees and trim with your weed eater.

2. Exterior maintenance pays off. If your home needs painting, consider having it done before you put the home on the market. Windows should be washed and gutters cleaned. Mildew often accumulates on guttering and can make a home that doesn’t really need painting look as if it does. Use a mildew cleaning solution to wipe down your gutters if this is a problem on your home. Clean and repair your light fixtures and be sure the doorbell is in working order. Repair or replace torn or missing screens.

3. Clean out your basement and/or garage. You are preparing to move after you sell the house, anyway, so why not throw out all that stuff you’ve been keeping unnecessarily now? If your garage has oil stains on the floor, consider a quick coat of concrete floor paint. This is a good time to clean out the attic, too. Serious buyers will want to look in the attic or, at the least; the home inspector will take a look around up there.

4. If the interior of your home has been painted fairly recently, look for marks that may need to be cleaned up or touched up. If it needs painting, consider having it done before you list the home.

5. Replace any bad light bulbs in the house. Also, if any major appliances need repair, take care of that now if possible. Leaky faucets and toilets that don’t stop running can signal a potential buyer that other, more expensive maintenance items may not have had proper attention.

6. Clean any carpets in the house. If the carpet is worn out, consider replacing it. Remember that you are not only competing with other resale homes, but with new homes as well. The more that a buyer feels he or she can move in without major repairs or updating, the more competitive your house will be.

7. Straighten up any clutter in closets. If your closets are bursting at the seams, consider storing some of your off-season clothes while the house is on the market. Closet space is a prime consideration for many buyers. Make yours look as spacious and accessible as you can.

8. Clean the stove and refrigerator. Even if appliances are not staying with the house after it sells, remember that buyers are trying to picture themselves living in your home. The same goes for bathroom fixtures. This is a time to sparkle!

9. Eliminate odors. If you smoke in the house or have indoor pets, this is especially important. If buyers smell pet odors, they may start looking for stains and damage that doesn’t even exist. Noxious food odors such as garlic or strong spices used in cooking should also be avoided. Consider baking an apple pie or cookies occasionally to leave a sweet smell in the house.

10. Put away any valuables you have in the house. Be especially careful about collectible art or irreplaceable items. You may want to consider a safety deposit box for any expensive jewelry that you don’t wear on a regular basis. Don’t leave checkbooks, credit cards or cash out in plain view. If you keep financial or confidential records on your computer, turn it off before leaving the house. The vast majority of buyers are honest people, but caution is a virtue.

11. The same goes for breakable items. Put your crystal and china away. Buyers sometimes bring their little ones with them and accidents do happen.

12. If your REALTOR^® has information flyers, feature sheets, etc. available, make sure these are in a place that they will be seen so buyers will take one with them. If you are running low on these, contact your agent and ask them to bring more.

13. Before showings, open the drapes or blinds and turn on lamps throughout the house. Make the home look warm and inviting. Opening draperies or blinds also makes rooms appear larger.

14. Plan to leave the house if at all possible during showings. Buyers will feel much more at ease discussing the virtues and problems with their agent if you are not there. Their agent will be in a better position to overcome any objections.

15. Showing agents usually leave a card. If your REALTOR^® hasn’t informed you in advance of the showing and you find a card in your house, give your REALTOR^® a call to let them know that the agent showed the house. Most agents will call ahead, but occasionally they may be showing another house in your neighborhood and the buyer will see your for-sale sign in the yard. By calling your REALTOR^® and letting them know about the showing, they can follow up with the showing agent to get any feedback and answer any questions the potential buyer may have.

16. If you are going to be away from home for an extended period of time, let your REALTOR^® know about your plans, including how you can be contacted.

Selling your home can be a stressful experience, but it doesn’t need to be. Eliminate a lot of the stress by preparing your home and yourself for a successful experience. You and your REALTOR^® are a team with a common goal: selling your home for the highest possible price in the shortest possible time, and working with the HomesGreaterAtlanta Team we can accomplish just that!