Preparing Your Home for Sale in Today's Market

Now more than ever it is critical that you effectively prepare your home for sale before you put it on the market. Unless you are marketing it as a "fixer upper" (and the price is reflective of this), your home needs to be in top condition.

Today's buyer has many options and will quickly pass on a less than perfect condition house. This does not mean you have to spend big dollars making over your home. Neat, clean and well maintained is what is important. Anything less and a prospective buyer may assume that your home has not been taken care of properly. A thorough cleaning and some inexpensive repairs may be all that you need.

First impression is the only impression that counts when you are selling your home! Here are some tips to follow PRIOR to listing your house.

1. Create curb appeal. Buyers need to like your home from the outside first. Make sure your lawn and landscaping is weeded, trimmed and neat. Important for this time of year - get rid of the leaves! How does your front door look? Shutters? Garage door? A quick coat of paint may be in order. What about your mailbox? While buyers may not notice that it is new, they WILL notice if it is old and rusty!

2. Windows. Make sure your windows are clean - and the screens too. Clean windows will add brightness to your home.

3. The importance of Paint. Remember, you may love your bright pink living room but many buyers won't. Neutral is key. Buy an off-white neutral and get rid of the pink! Also, chipped or peeling pain is a big no-no....sanding and a quick coat of paint will do wonders for the showability of your house.

4. Declutter. Go through your entire house and get rid of the clutter. Then go through again and declutter more! Pay special attention to cupboards, pantries and closets. Buyers will look inside! Remove large pieces of furniture. Put away your out of season clothes. Donate what you can and throw away what you cannot. For the items you may want to keep but need to remove, investing in a storage unit may pay off in the long run.

5. Clean your house from top to bottom. Dust, vaccuum, clean stains out of carpets, polish hardwoods, clean appliances, scrub the toilet and bath....now is the time to make your home sparkle! Don't have the time? We can help! Nothnagle's Home Services offers affordable options for cleaning services.

6. Check for leaks and squeeks. Fix leaky faucets and fixtures and oil those squeeky door hinges.

Your agent can give you personalized tips to maximize the showability of your home. Ask friends and families for their honest opinion. Look at your home through the eyes of a stranger - what you think is perfect, just may not be so to others. Criticism may be hard to take but in the end it will pay off. Because a properly priced home that is in good condition will sell much faster allowing you to get on with your life.