Home preparation

A well maintained home will get good Price and Sell fast!

If you are getting ready to place your property on the market, the most important piece of advice we can give you (other than listing with us) is to have it ready to be sold. Buyers are usually willing to pay a premium for a home that is in top-notch condition and move in ready. But if your home and property have signs of deferred maintenance or don't show well due to poor staging, you are setting yourself up for a long and frustrating listing period with a very small chance of getting an acceptable offer.

Although part of our listing service is helping you stage your home and property to maximize your return, here are a few suggestions you may want to address before we meet.

YOUR CURB APPEAL

The internet has changed the way a buyer will shop for your home. By the time they contact an agent to look, most will have already pre-qualified it based on how it looks from the road. Although most searches start on-line, it is estimated 7 out of 10 prospective buyers will drive by a property before scheduling a showing appointment. Therefore, you need to present your property so its outside appearance will draw them in.

Here's what we feel is important on the outside:

• Fencing - If your property is fenced, make sure it is in good condition and freshly painted. If it looks bad, the impression will be the rest of the property will too.
• Junk - Remove anything that will distract a buyer's eyes away from what is important, which is your home, yard, outbuildings and pastures.
• Trees - Trim them up and remove any dead branches that are still attached or on the ground.
• Landscaping and Yard - Curb appeal sells! Unless you have a green thumb and the time, consider hiring a landscaping company to keep your yard manicured, bushes trimmed and flower beds colorful and healthy.
• Repair any exterior maintenance issues with your home and outbuildings.

YOUR HOME

We think a buyer makes a decision within the first few minutes of driving up your driveway and walking through your front door whether or not this could be their new home. Buyers will pay top dollar for a home that is neat, well-maintained and feels good to them.

Here are our thoughts on the most important things you can do to improve your chances of a positive outcome:

• Make sure your home's exterior does not show any signs of deferred maintenance and doesn't look like it will need any paint in the near future, especially around your entryway and front door.
• Keep your porches, covered patios, windows and eaves clean so there are no dirt dobber nests, spider webs and stains
• Wash your windows inside and out
• Make sure your door bell works
• Be sure and repair:
  • damaged flooring or countertops
  • settling cracks in walls and ceilings. Although you will need to note settling on the seller's disclosure.
  • leaky faucets
  • doors that swing open or closed or won't shut correctly
• Bold colors on walls, counter-tops and floors will limit your salability. Earth-tones and neutral colors will make a better impression. Also, wall paper seems to be out and textured walls are in. So if you have fluorescent walls, flowered wallpaper, blue counter-tops or pink carpet, you will be money ahead if you invest in updating your décor before you go on the market. Also, allowances don't work, so that's probably not a good alternative.
• Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks, and make sure every corner of your bathrooms are sparkling clean.
• Change your air conditioning filters and clean all return vents.
• Eliminate any unpleasant odors within your home, especially in the entryway.
• Keep working bulbs in every light socket of your home and garage.
• De-clutter!! Things like collectibles, magazines, children's toys etc.
• Less is better - Make rooms appear as spacious and open as you can. Almost every home will show better with less furniture and be sure to eliminate any items that tighten spaces. "POD's" come in great here.
• De-personalize your home by packing away as many personal photographs and family heirlooms as you can. These distract a buyer's eyes away from what they should be looking at.
• Organize your closets and all cabinets. This makes a great impression.
• Unless your kitchen appliances are relatively new, consider updating them.
• The most important rooms in your home to a buyer are the family room, kitchen, master bedroom and all baths, so make them show like a model.
• If you have a pool, consider hiring an outside service to keep it clean and sparkling.

YOUR OUTBUILDINGS

Sometimes, barns and workshops are as important to a potential buyer as your home, so the same recommendations would apply. But here are a few other things you can do:

• Repair any damage that may have been caused by equipment or animals.
• Make sure all light fixtures have bulbs and are in working order.
• Pressure wash as much of the exterior and interior as possible and touch up any painting. Be sure and eliminate all dirt dobber nests, wasp nests and spider webs.
• As with your home, eliminate as much clutter as you can.
• Keep tools and equipment neatly stored and keep water hoses coiled.
• In barns, make sure the aisles are swept clean and stalls are freshly bedded with shavings.
• Repair any leaking water hydrants or livestock waterers.
• Keep the area around any structures weed free and manicured.

YOUR PASTURES

• Keep them mowed and fence lines trimmed.