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Step One - Sellers
These are some helpful guides to prepare your house to go on today's market:
- Emotion vs. Reason – When you prepare to sell your house, you already know prospective buyers will be viewing the interior of your home. Because you have personalized your home to make it yours, you will need to now make it neutral so that a perspective Buyer can imagine themselves and their possessions in the house. One idea is to remove all family pictures and paint the walls neutral colors: khakis are good!
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- First Impressions - Although you love your yard ornaments, they are yours. You will want to take them with you when you leave, so go ahead and pack them up. Cleaning the exterior of the house with a pressure washer (depending on exterior construction) spruces up and gets rid of the spider webs. Sweep the porch or area of entry to keep debris form entering the house. Clean out the pots with dead plants or go ahead and pack those up as well. However, it is nice to have new flowers out front, especially in the Spring.
- Removing Clutter, Show Walls and Floors - Once you have looked at every room in your home and removed all the personal items, have another look and remove any extra furniture, ottomans, books form shelves, nicknacks that are unnecessary, boxes of files, remove can openers and toasters from the kitchen counters, pictures or magnets on the refrigerator, etc.
- Spruce Up the House Interior - Sometimes a quick paint job can make the interior of your home stand out. Again, be sure to use neutral colors as you never know what someone is going to like. The purpose is to brighten up the interior to allow prospective owners to visualize themselves living in the house.
- Repairs and Replacements – Is a cover missing from a light switch? Do you have picture holes in the walls? Is there a stain on the carpet? Does the trim need cleaning? Cabinets need a shine? Lightbulbs need replacing? Things to consider are carpet cleanings or replacement, painting, patching, and hardware replacement. Be sure to weigh out the cost, but understand that this market dictates a shiny house if you want a higher price.
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