Things you can do to make your home appealing to buyers
There are a number of practical, simple and inexpensive things you can do to make your home more appealing to buyers. Here are just a few suggestions that can be of help to you:
- Walk out to the curb and look at what everyone driving by your home will see. If you your front yard is neat and well maintained, that will have appeal to most people. Take a really good look at the house. Is it freshly painted and looks like it is structurally sound? If not, a bit of clean up and repair on anything that you can see from the street will make a big difference between someone wanting to go inside instead of deciding to drive by.
- Are the trees and flowers well groomed, or in need of a trim? Do your flowers offer a variety of color that is pleasing to the eye? If not, you can purchase some inexpensive annuals and either plant them around the entrance to your home or put them in clay pots and place them in areas where a splash of color will help highlight areas of the home you want people to notice.
- Walk all the way around your home and see if you have clutter anywhere. If your tool shed has been too full for the paste few years, and you have been practicing my favorite storage technique of "stuff and shove," it is time to clean it out and make sure everything you keep is organized and neatly put away.
- Wash all your windows and screens. This is one of the simplest, least expensive things you can do to make your home look appealing. Keep the windows and screens clean until the house is sold.
- Walk through the inside of your home room by room and eliminate all the clutter -- except your husband. You'll need him to help pack when you sell the house. Clutter can be defined as everything that you just can't remember the last time you used.
- Make all small repairs and some big ones, if they need it. Clean all carpets and polish and dust your furniture. Make sure everything in the bathrooms is clean, fresh and functioning properly.
- Paint every room that looks dingy. A coat of neutral paint is one of the least expensive ways to freshen a room. Stay away from bold colors. Everyone has their own taste in decorating and your buyer can personalize the home once they own it.
Take the advice of your realtor. They known what makes a house appealing. This is their business and along with you, they have vested interest in getting your home sold. Your realtor can tell you things that they believe you must do and things they believe you could or should do. You've hired them, so it makes sense to take their advice. That includes how much furniture to keep in the rooms and traffic flow.
When you know that people will be viewing your home, make sure it is well lit, each room is tidy and the house has a pleasant aroma. I used to bake cookies before a buyer was coming over and leave them as a treat if they so desired. The smell of just baked cookies was marvelous, buy I gained three pounds before the house was sold!
Finally, while you are proud of your home, it is always best to leave while the house is being shown so the prospective buyer can ask questions freely of your realtor without any distractions.
Keeping your house clean and clutter free, improving its appearance from the street, making needed repairs, painting, clearing rooms of extra furniture and working with your realtor -- all of these will help you sell your house faster and for a fair price, regardless of what is happening elsewhere in your neighborhood.