10 Quick Tips for Home Sellers
1. Start at the Street. Pretend you are a prospective buyer
seeing your home for the first time. What do you see from your
car? Make your home so inviting buyers will get out of their
comforting cars and walk to your front door. Place fresh
seasonal flowers, in pots or planted, along the front walk or by
your front door. 2. Make Repairs. Lubricate squeaky door hinges,
fix dripping faucets, and make sure toilets flush properly. You
get used to the minor faults in your home, so ask a friend to
inspect for minor defects. 3. Exterminate. One bug or spider,
dead or alive, can cause some buyers to leave immediately. 4.
Remove Clutter. Not only does a neat, organized house feel
larger and more inviting, clutter-free homes give prospective
buyers a chance to see the home's features. 5. Deep Clean.
Remove dust, spiders, and odors. 6. Depersonalize. Pack your
personal mementos and photographs. Give your buyers the
opportunity to visualize their personal effects in your home. 7.
Lighten Up. During the winter months, use bulbs with the highest
wattage recommended in light fixtures. Add small table lamps for
extra lighting. If you have room on your kitchen and bathroom
countertops, a small decorative lamp adds a warm glow with a
designer's touch. 8. Wash Walls or Repaint. Fresh paint gives
you the best return on your money. 9. Clean Carpets or Replace.
You may be accustomed to the way your carpet looks, but what do
buyers see? If you're selling to first-time home buyers, they
most likely won't have the money beyond the down payment to pay
for new carpeting. Move-up buyers expect perfection, even if
they want to tear it all out. 10. Consider having your pets
taken care of by family or friends. Some home buyers are
allergic to pets, while others will be turned off by pet odors.
You get accustomed to your pets' odors, but these scents drive
buyers away.
With a little thought and effort, you can persuade buyers that
your house exceeds their expectations-- and is worth getting out
of the car.
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