Preparing Your House to Sell

• Dirty or faded walls, peeling paint, damaged molding should be repaired by you or a handyman.  All these little nicks register in a buyer’s mind as elements they can deduct from the asking price. The less wear and tear people see the better your offer will be.
• Refinish floors if they are worn. Floors are something the buyer notices first.
• Repair minor cracks in walls. Houses settle but they don’t have to look like it.
• Paint rooms that are faded or beyond cleaning. Also, paint those rooms that have paint colors in vibrant shades (your personal favorite is not everyone’s favorite). Select white or neutral colors, but don’t go crazy and don’t overspend.
• Repair leaky faucets.
• Re-caulk bathroom (tub, sink, and shower). If possible bleach or scrub grout. This will make a big difference. Old peeling caulk and dirty grout detract from the appearance of a bathroom and makes it look in worse shape than it actually is.  

• Replace any burnt-out light bulbs.
• Clean windows both inside and out.
• Polish wood floors. Try a product like a restorative wood cleaner. Orange Glow floor polish works quite well.
• Clean wall-to-wall carpets (professionally if possible).
• Vacuum and sweep floors regularly.
• If curtains or shades are dirty, clean them or take them down altogether. In fact, the brighter the better, and shades often detract from this.
• Polish bathroom fittings.
• Make sure the sink, toilet, and tub are cleaned before showing.
• The shower curtain should be clean or better yet new.
• Kitchen countertops should be clean and cleared.
• Make sure all dishes are cleaned and stored in their place.

Odors are a major detractor. I have had clients literally turn on their heels and walk out of a home when they smell odors. All houses have their own scent, but certain odors from pets, cigarette smoke, mustiness, or just basic stagnant air will have an immediate negative impression. First, if possible, eliminate the source of smells. For example, long-term smoke exposure will sink into carpets and furniture. Throw these items out or have them cleaned. Open windows, leave out bowls of vinegar, and separate bowls of baking soda. Activated charcoal absorbers will also help.

• Edit down your furniture so people can move freely throughout the room. The space will feel larger.
• Remove knick-knacks from tabletops – limit to 1-3 items at MOST. 
• Update lamps with new lampshades if yours are faded or torn.
• Personal Papers should have a place out of sight; this is also a security issue. Get a box to store personal items that are in use (bills, notes, etc.) so they can be stored away at a moment’s notice.
• Kitchen counters should only have the bare essentials of appliances.
• Consider removing (or replacing) patterned curtains or tablecloths.
• CLEAN SOLID towels in the bathroom.
• Closets should be edited and arranged neatly (this is where de-cluttering comes in handy). This seems extraneous but it is not – it demonstrates that there is enough storage space.
• Fresh flowers throughout the home always freshen a room.

Some realtors advise you to remove your personal photos. I don’t subscribe to that (unless it is for privacy). Having too many photos is an issue – having none is strange. If you have raised a happy family in your house, then having evidence of that in the form of (a few select) photos only signals to the next potential buyer that it could be them. And as weird as it may sound, it shows the home has good karma. You may laugh, but there are homes that do not…and they stay on the market for long.

• http://www.realtor.org/field-guides/field-guide-to-preparing-staging-a-house-for-sale
• http://homebuying.about.com/od/sellingahouse/ht/homeprep.htm
• http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/interior/9-things-i-learned-from-preparing-to-sell-my-home#slide-1
• http://www.forbes.com/sites/trulia/2014/06/13/21-ways-to-prepare-your-home-for-selling/
• http://www.owners.com/fsbo-articles/how-to-prepare-a-home-to-sell/how-much-fix-up-should-i-do