Preparing Your Home For Sale

Today’s buyer doesn’t have the same appetite they once did for fixing up and remodeling homes. Their busy schedules can pay you dividends if you put a little time and money into some cosmetic preparations. The best return for your money is paint, carpet and landscaping. Costs for a typical 2500 square foot home are approximately: $5000 for an inside painting, $15000 for an outside painting, $7000 for new carpets and $4000 for landscaping clean up and plantings. All this should easily return to you over $35,000 in a higher sales price

You should also consider “staging” your home. This really helps the buyer see the best flow of the house and how your home “feels” to them. Put away any items that would contribute to a cluttered appearance. While family pictures and other treasures have meaning to you, to a potential buyer they are just things which tend to make a room seem smaller. Make sure that the lights are on and the window coverings are open when a buyer comes into your home. Light and cheerful is much better than dark and cheerless when it comes to showing your home. Sort out closets and arrange things neatly. It will make your closets look bigger, and further contribute to the sense of tidiness. I recommend you de-clutter all surfaces (kitchen counters, bathroom vanities, desks etc) of the personal items. Pride in your home will be seen by a potential buyer, and hopefully make them want to buy your home. 

First Impressions:
Outside Curb Appeal: The most important thing to do to your home is to make it as attractive as possible. Start with the first impression that a potential buyer has when they drive up, the so-called 'curb appeal'.

* Mow and edge the lawn.
* Get rid of the weeds.
* Plant some nice, colorful flowers, if it's the correct season.

Stand back and critically look at your home. How do you see your home? If you stand in the shoes of a potential buyer, you will probably see things that need to be done.