First impressions are the strongest.
Your home will be photographed for the Multiple Listing Service, the sign in the yard will attract lookers and prospects brought by agents will all be deciding from the exterior, if they want to enter. The front of your home should be kept neat and clean. Trim shrubs, mow the lawn, plant attractive flowers, if possible. Do whatever is necessary to improve the "curb appeal" of the home.
Paint or wash the front door and surrounding area.
Agents will be spending an extra few minutes here, opening the lock box. While they are getting the keys, the
buyers are scrutinizing the front door, up close.
Clean windows both inside and out until they sparkle.
Clean the window coverings also. Buyers will be looking at the view through the windows, will see what a
lovely well-cared for home you have.
Remove clutter, start packing away the excess nick nacks.
Old magazines, books anything that takes up space and detracts from the home should go away.
Empty the closets. The objective is to make the closets unstuffed. Closets that have space left appear spacious and more than adequate.
Clean the basement and the garage.
To buyers these areas are as important as the home. Clean them up and unclutter them. Help the buyers visualize how much
space they will have for their possessions.
Sparkling clean bathrooms are rated equal to kitchens
as the most important areas to buyers. Present your bathrooms to their best advantage, paint, clean and
caulk. If needed replace the toilet seat and purchase a new set of towels.
Rooms that are light and bright are very appealing.
Open blinds, leave on lights, especially in darker areas of the home. Check for burnt out bulbs, replace
them.
Pets.
People who have pets should be sure that the pet is protected and away from the buyers. Some buyers are very much afraid of pets and will not enter a home
that has pets. If possible remove the pet during showing. If your pet is unfriendly to strangers, this puts everyone in a very bad position.
Noise.
Quiet homes are the best. Music can be nice, but it's very hard to determine what kind of music to play that will appeal to all buyers. It's best to not have any.
Turn off the TV. If you have a "yappy dog" well, that is distracting too.
Odor.
Pet odors sometimes are not noticed by the people who live with the pets. Extra cleaning and isolating the pet to a smaller area, will help keep the clean up work
to a minimum. Odors in a home are very big deal killers. The trouble with odors, it's difficult to tell someone their home stinks, so no one does.
First sell the house.
Sellers sometimes get so involved in a move, they put personal property up for sale too. This is a mistake and very distracting. If the buyer
wants to purchase the home let them. You can discuss the other items later.
Make yourself scarce.
It's ok to wait and let the buyers in, but leave immediately. Take a walk, go have a Starbucks, visit the neighbor, but leave. Hanging around
discussing your home with prospects is not a good idea. The buyers must first look at the home and be able to "mentally move in". They can't do that with the seller
looking over their shoulders.
Good aromas always enhance a home.
Realtors suggest baking a tray of cookies or a loft of bread to create a wonderful aroma when they buyers come for a
showing. A quick and easy trick is to put a few drops of vanilla on a cookie sheet in a warm oven.
The Berkshire Group, Realtors offer additional advice to home sellers in the Denver metro area. Please contact
us by e-mail or phone.
Setting the Price on Your Home