With Spring coming, more homes will be going on the market. This past month has been incredibly busy for me with new listings. I have come up with some basic things that need to be done if you want to put your home on the market.
- Clean, clean and clean, yes even windows and baseboards.
- Stand at the curb and see how your house looks. If there are leaves or debris in the street in front of your house, clean it up. Pick up the dead branches laying in your yard. Sweep the front steps, remove the cigarette butts, straighten that hanging shutter and put it back in place.
- The front door needs to look good. Clean it and if necessary paint it. Are your house numbers clean and visible?
- If your house key sticks in the door, spray some WD-40 into the lock and work the key in and out. If the agent showing your house has to struggle just to open the door, it doesn't leave a good impression.
- While you have that WD-40 out, spray the hinges of creaky doors. Don't forget the hinges on the iron fence. It shouldn't sound like Halloween at your house with creaky and squeaky noises.
- This is so basic, but it needs to be said again. De-clutter and then de-clutter again. You get one chance to make a first impression. Make it a good one.
- List your home with an agent when it is ready to be shown. If you have showings and it isn't ready to be seen, you may turn off a buyer. They will rarely come back after you have cleaned up.
- Is the siding of your home clean? It's time to pressure wash and make it shine.
- Don't forget the roof and gutters. If there is debris on the roof and leaves overflowing out of the gutters, I can almost guarantee a less than favorable offer, if you get one. There is a licensed and insured company here in Atlanta that cleans gutters for $110. It's well worth it.
- If you are having a hard time seeing your house like a buyer would, get out your digital camera. Walk around your house and take photos. Look at them through the critical eyes of a buyer. If you see something you don't like, fix it or remove it. Now when your agent takes photos, you'll like how they look too.
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If you are thinking of buying or selling a home, contact local expert Jen Bowman, Realtor and Broker Associate with Success Realty serving the real estate needs of Decatur and Metro Atlanta, GA. 404-456-5024
Having been personally househunting lately, it is shocking the number of people who don't seem to think about these things at all.
Jen that is good news to hear that things are busy for you. No better time than right now to get house ready to sell in the Spring market.
good basis ideas for getting any home ready for the market, yet many people forget to do even these.
Having a home that shows well when there is lots of competition is very important. Just wrote about the same topic in my last article.
jen - That is great that listing are picking up - same thing is happening here in Charleton. great tips above as there are lots of little inexpensive things a seller can do to make the home look great.
Jen, As a home inspector I believe a pre-listing inspection is the way to go. Maintenance issues and defects can be taken care of prior to a home going on the market. If anything is found during the buyers inspection, it will be minimal at best resulting in a quicker and smoother transaction for all.
With that said, some of my pet peeves are light fixtures that have burned out bulbs. GFCI's that don't work. Dirty HVAC filters. Debris in floor registers. Debris in a crawl space. Dirt, leaves etc. up against the homes siding. Leaky faucets. Windows that are painted shut.
Most of these issues are little more then sweat equity, aren't expensive to repair and show a home that much better.
I especially like that last one with the camera. Pictures can often show things that the human eye misses because it's so used to looking at it in living colors and three dimensions.