Prepare Your Home for the Market

Small Improvements Often Bring Huge Returns

When you get ready to place your home on the market, it is important that you begin to think of your house not as a home but a commodity to be sold; similar to a product on the shelf of any store. Products have features and benefits, pluses and minuses and they compete. Try to begin to look at your house through the eyes of Buyers. Buyers view homes with very criticizing eyes and discount the price if the home is perceived as needing work.

Here are some simple improvements that you can make to your home so that you make a great impression on Buyers, increase the perceived value of your home and compete effectively with the competition:

Basic Home Improvements

• Replace or re-surface kitchen cabinets
• Upgrade cabinet door handles
• Install closet storage system
• Re-paint all rooms
• Paint basement floor if not finished
• Hire a cleaning crew to clean everything from walls to trim to carpet to mini blinds

Minor Repairs

• Repair dripping faucets
• Clean furnace and filter
• Clean and repair windows
• Repair caulking around sinks, tubs and basins
• Replace burnt out light bulbs
• Lubricate squeaking doors
• Repair squeaking floor boards
• Stretch buckled carpets
• Repair cracks in basement floor
• Check ceiling for leaks and stains. Fix the cause of damage, repair and re-paint

Invite Mr. Clean

• Clean fridge and stove in and out and remove all messages, cards and other decorations from the fridge.
• Clean the oven
• Clean around the heating vents
• Clean carpets, mats, drapes and window blinds
• Eliminate odours and stains
• Clean wood burning fireplace

Create Space – Start Packing

• Use your garage, basement or storage space to pack away all household items that are not being used on a daily basis
• Clean halls, foyer and stairs of clutter
• Clean all excess objects from furniture throughout the house. Restrict decorative objects to small groups 1, 3 or 5 depending on the size of objects
• Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen counter and stove top
• Re-arrange pictures or objects on the wall. Personal pictures and Sunshine girls can distract Buyers
• Re-arrange and remove furniture to make rooms appear larger

Exterior Appearance

• Go around the grounds and remove all garbage cans, wood scraps, extra building material, etc.
• Prune bushes and trees and make sure plants do not block windows
• Pull weeds and tidy flower beds
• Cut lawns and edge beds
• Power wash driveway and clean up oil spills
• Plant colourful flowers
• Clean and organize items in the garage
• Stain or paint deck and clear off all small items
• Hang some hanging plants

Front Entry – Curb Appeal Works

• Clean the porch
• Purchase a welcome mat
• Repair broken screens
• Paint or varnish the front door
• Make sure the doorbell works
• Clean the storm door

Set the Mood

• Accent with candles, flowers and plants
• Leave on light stereo music during the day for viewings
• At night, turn on lights outside and inside
• Open drapes and blinds
• Turn on air conditioning/heat
• Light the fireplace

Remember…to be a Seller…
You have to look at your home through the eyes of the Buyer!