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If you put your home on the market, for whatever reason, be it that you are going to seize the great opportunities out there for buyers these days or if you need to relocate for a job or are ready to move into a condo for your retirement – obviously, you want your home to sell. With so many properties on the market for sale these days, buyers have a host of choices to choose from. Here are some easy steps to take to make sure your house sells and sells well.
Put Away The Personal Stuff
(Strangers Have No Need to See Your Grocery List)
The one surefire way to get buyers to want your home is to get them to visualize themselves living in it. Never mind the purple fluorescent walls you may have installed in the basement or the bright green kitchen tiles – to begin with you need to remove traces of your own personal lives that serve as a distraction to buyers. It is important to provide a blank enough slate that potential residents can imagine themselves living in it while at the same time leaving enough elements of the home to show that the place IS livable.
Get Rid of All The Clutter
(Buyers Don’t Care About Your Magazine Collection)
Clutter hides the real stuff. If buyers want to gauge where they may put their own furniture and belongings, it will be next to impossible for them to do it if they can’t see past the junk and clutter lying around while you live in the home. Try to keep it as neat and clean as possible. If you must have pockets of things around the house then make an effort to organize them in an appealing manner.
Make It Squeaky Clean
(Pretend Your Mother-in-Law’s Coming Over)
If something is not clean as a whistle, the first instinct a buyer will have is to get out of there and find another, better place. Even though things can be cleaned later on, you need to show buyers your home at its best potential. Make a solid effort to make fixtures shine, bathrooms sparkle, getting rid of long-term stains and build-up wherever possible. Think of a high-end hotel and set things up in a clean way that will appeal to many tastes. In the kitchen, your appliances should be spotless. Windows are also an important aspect that should not be ignored.
Make It Smell Fresh and Inviting
(Fresh Smells = A Home That Sells)
Again, just like a high-end hotel, if someone walks in and the first thing that hits them is a nasty smell or even a subtle but unpleasant smell, they are not going to want to stay. If there are smokers in your home, or if you have indoor pets – first ask a friend or relative to walk around your house and give you an honest opinion of how it smells. Then be sure to treat any problem areas and potential pitfalls that could hinder your sale. Having carpets steam cleaned is an investment worth making; removing drapes and bedding to have them dry cleaned is also not a bad idea. Some sellers put a pot of apples, cinnamon and sugar on the stove and cook it for a few hours before showing the house, giving the space a ‘fresh baked’ aroma. Be sure not to mask bad smells though, rather treat them.
Make Sure There Is Outdoor Appeal
(People stop in their tracks when they see a gorgeous exterior)
If you can get people to say “wow!” when they see your home from the outside, there is a good chance they will be compelled to see the inside too. Curb appeal is the first opportunity to generate interest in your home and it also lets you provide a glimpse of what you may have to offer inside. Make sure there are no ugly areas of peeling paint, faded wood or unkempt and poorly maintained areas in the lawn and garden areas. The outdoor space should be inviting, have lots of nice potted plants or trees and shrubbery that is watered well while surrounded by fresh grass.
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The best way to get OFF the market with a nice red “SOLD” sign out front, is to provide buyers something appealing. By following these five easy steps, your property will likely not last long in the selling circuit and sellers will grab it in no time. Not only does the property sell easily, your efforts also yield top dollar for the house!
