Tips for Making Your Home More Saleable

Before you put your home on the market, there are some things you can do to differentiate your house among the competitors.

When preparing to put your home up for sale, your first concern is the home’s exterior. If the outside or “curb appeal” looks good, people will more than likely want to see what’s on the inside. Keep the lawn and landscape nicely manicured. Trim the bushes and, season permitting, plant some flowers. Be sure your front door area has a “Welcome” feeling. A fresh coat of paint on the front door looks great.

Of all the rooms inside your home, pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms. They should look as modern, bright, and fresh as possible. It is essential for them to be clean and odor-free. A fresh coat of paint just may do the trick. Have any leaky faucets taken care of. A call to a plumber is a wise investment.

Since you want your home to look as spacious as possible, remove any excess or very large furniture. Make sure that table tops, dressers, and closets are free of clutter. Don’t use your garage, attic, or basement to store these extra things. These areas also need to have the impression of space. Instead, put them into storage. Make sure walls and doors are free of smudges, and look for anything that might indicate a maintenance problem, such as cracked windows, holes in the wall, or stained ceilings.

Finally, if your basement shows any signs of dampness or leakage, seal the walls.

Quick Tips for Showings

Keep countertops cleared.
Replace all burned-out lightbulbs.
Open all drapes and window blinds.
Put pets in cages or take them to a neighbor.
No dirty dishes in the sink.
No laundry in the washer/dryer.
Clean or replace dirty or worn carpets.
Put on soft music.
Burn wood in the fireplace on cold days; otherwise, the fireplace should be clean.
Always look at your home from the buyer’s point of view. Be objective and be honest.

Maximizing Exterior and Curb Appeal

Before putting your house on the market, take as much time as necessary (and as little money as possible) to maximize its exterior and interior appeal. Tips to enhance your home’s exterior and curb appeal:

Keep the lawn edged, cut, and watered regularly.
Trim hedges, weed lawns and flowerbeds, and prune trees regularly.
Check the foundation, steps, walkways, walls, and patios for cracks and crumbling.
Inspect doors and windows for peeling paint.
Clean and align gutters.
Inspect and clean the chimney.
Repair and replace loose or damaged roof shingles.
Repair and repaint loose siding and caulking.
In Northern winters, keep walks neatly cleared of snow and ice.
During the spring and summer months, consider adding a few showy annuals, perhaps in pots, near your front entrance.
Re-seal an asphalt driveway.
Keep your garage door closed.
Store RVs or old and beaten-up cars elsewhere while the house is on the market.
Apply a fresh coat of paint to the front door.

Maximizing Interior Appeal

Enhance your home’s interior by:

Giving every room in the house a thorough cleaning, as well as removing all clutter. This alone will make your house appear bigger and brighter. Some homeowners with crowded rooms have actually rented storage garages and moved half their furniture out, creating a sleeker, more spacious look.

Hiring a professional cleaning service once every few weeks while the house is on the market. This may be a good investment for owners who are busy elsewhere.

Removing the less frequently used, even daily-used items from kitchen counters, closets, and attics, making these areas much more inviting. Since you’re anticipating a move anyhow, holding a garage sale at this point is a great idea.

If necessary, repainting dingy, soiled, or strongly colored walls with a neutral shade of paint, such as off-white or beige. The same neutral scheme can be applied to carpets and linoleum.

Checking for cracks, leaks, and signs of dampness in the attic and basement.
Repairing cracks, holes, or damage to plaster, wallboard, wallpaper, paint, and tiles.
Replacing broken or cracked windowpanes, moldings, and other woodwork.
Inspecting and repairing the plumbing, heating, cooling, and alarm systems.
Repairing dripping faucets and showerheads.
Buying showy new towels for the bathroom, to be brought out only when prospective buyers are on the way.
Sprucing up a kitchen in need of more major remodeling by investing in new cabinet knobs, new curtains, or a coat of neutral paint.