So, it is the first of the year and you have decided that this year is the year that you would buy a new home. Wonderful, but first you have to sell your present home. You knew that this day would come and you have planned for it. You have planned to remodel the kitchen and the baths. You planned to replace the carpet. You planned to redo the landscaping in the front yard. You also planned to clean out all of the extra stuff in the closets and in the basement. And now you want to catch the spring market. Wonderful, you now have two months to do everything you planned.
Don’t worry, it might not be as bad as you thought. Ok, so maybe you don’t have time to take the whole kitchen apart and put it back together again, but you might not have to.
Small things can make a huge difference. Clean the cupboards out, clear off the counters. Maybe things just need a fresh coat of paint or furniture polish. Tighten up handles and make things shine. Don’t replace counter tops or flooring unless they are falling apart or curling up. The thing to remember is that clean and good repair is important. It doesn’t have to all be new or updated. Home Buyers want to know that the house has been taken care of.
Clean out closets. Clean closets show buyers just how functional and how much they can really get in them. And besides, you will get wonder complements for how neat they are.
Washing and polishing woodwork will really brighten things up and little marks won’t be so noticeable.
Wash curtains, blinds and windows and clean out the sills. Don’t replace carpet that just needs a good cleaning.
A basement in an older home can look cleaner and well maintained by painting the walls and the floor. Some things can be a lot of work, but it will pay off. Don’t store everything you just took out of upstairs in your freshly cleaned basement. Rent a storage unit. It is a good place too to put the furniture that is making a room look smaller than it is.
Don’t take down all of your personal items. Why would you bake cookies or a pie to make you home smell like home, if you don’t want people to see that people really do live there? Do put valuable things away or out of reach. A crystal vase shouldn’t be sitting where someone could bump it over. A valuable coin collection should not just be sitting out.
Don’t forget about your front door. If they don’t think it looks good from the street, they won’t want to come inside. Touch up any pealing paint. Put out a new welcome mat. The art of “Feng Shui” suggests red flowers by the front door.
A home inspection before you put your home on the market may be helpful. But remember they might find something big that needs to be taken care of. But wouldn’t it be better to find it when you have time to decide how to take care of it.
When the time comes for you to pack up your things, it will be easier. You have just organized your house, gotten rid of things you don’t need. Now you can move to your new home.
I always tell my sellers neat, tidy, and good working order sells just as fast as new. If you have a question about what repairs or replacement works best in your market, contact your realtor.
Happy Moving!
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