| 13. Start by walking through the house and
making a list. Do your carpets
need shampooing? Floors need a fresh coat of wax? Dust all ceiling fans
especially the blades and wash light
fixtures.
14. You're going to have to pack when you move anyway, so go through
all
your closets and pack up everything you don't need for the next couple
of
months. A closet with only a few neatly arranged items creates an
impression of abundant storage space.
15. Thin out overcrowded rooms. Ever notice the model homes sparse
furnishings? They make the rooms look larger. Consider renting a
storage
facility to store excess lamps, tables, and large items that eat up
space
in a room.
16.Go through and pack up most of your family pictures and collections
of
model ships, stamps, quilts, or anything that might cause a buyer to
stop
and look at your collections of stuff instead of your house.
17.Check all light fixtures to make sure all the bulbs burn. Use the
largest wattage bulb that you safely can to give off more light.
18. Wash all your windows and make sure window treatments are clean and
in
good repair. Keep the window coverings open whenever possible to let in
more light.
19. With a good degreaser, wipe down everything in the kitchen so it
feels
clean to the touch. Clean your stove and oven; replace stove eye pans
if needed
20. Go through your kitchen cabinets and pantry to make sure they're
neat
and tidy; give any food that you don't plan to use right away to the
local
food pantry.
21.Make sure your sinks are clean at all times and free of dirty dishes
and
utensils.
22. Remove all excess items from your counters to give the impression
of
lots of work surface.
23. Pleasing aromas add to the appealing atmosphere we're trying to
establish for your buyers; consider keeping a saucepan of potpourri on
the
stove to give off an appealing scent.
24.Clean all light switch places by taking them off and washing with
soap
and water; replace if necessary.
25.Make sure the bathrooms are spotless at all times with fresh towels,
decorative soaps, and all fixtures are shiny, scrubbed, and in good
repair.
26. Check all faucets and shower heads to make sure they're spotless
and
free of leaks and drips.
27. Repaint interior rooms if needed with neutral colors.
28.Don't forget your ceilings too; years of living in a home with
cooking,
smoking, and other everyday activities can stain ceilings. Paint ages;
repaint if needed.
29. Don't have large, space eating house plants sitting around; give
them
away or ask a neighbor to store them until you move.
31.The more light you can get into a room the bigger and more spacious
the
room will appear. When you leave for a showing, turn on lights in rooms
that are normally darker than you would like and make sure the window
coverings are open to admit outside light.
32. An old decorator trick to bring in more light as well as make rooms
appear larger are mirrors; either hanging on a wall or on a stand.
33. Pack away and store out of season clothes. Get rid of extra
hangars.
Straighten up your shoes (consider some inexpensive shoe racks from a
discount store like K-Mart or Wal-Mart).
34. When painting don't forget the interiors of closets and the closets
doors; make sure all closet and interior doors open and close
correctly.
35. Check where ceilings meet wall and clean all cobwebs, this is a
commonly overlooked area when cleaning, along with tops of tall
furniture
items such as hutches, entertainment centers, etc.
36. If you have a pet make sure there are no odors. You may not notice
odors since you live with your pet every day, have a neutral third
party
give your home a "sniff" test for objectionable odors that may turn
buyers off.
37. Also, when buyers come to visit, keep your pet under control, or
better
yet, get a friend or neighbor to "pet sit" for you while the buyers are
looking.
38. It's important that you leave the house for all showings. Buyers
feel
less inhibited if you're not around and will usually take a closer look
in
closets and in kitchen cabinets, as well as voice any objections that
your
agent can then deal with. If the buyers won't make comments because
you're
following them around pointing things out then your agent can't deal
with
any potential problems that may hinder making an offer.
39. If you have several vehicles make sure the spot closest to the door
buyers enter through is empty for them.
40. Freshly baked or even store bought cookies & little snacks along
with
an appropriate beverage (hot in winter, cold in summer) along with a
sign
saying "Please Sit Down and Enjoy a Treat While You're Here" will make
your
home more memorable even if they don't take anything. Remember little
things can go a long way towards getting your home sold quickly for the
best price.
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