When you are getting your home ready to sell, there are some
things you simply must be concerned about, because every
prospective home buyer looks for them. Some rooms are more
important than others because they are used regularly by
everyone in the home. This makes them the focal point.
The kitchen is a very important focal point -- especially for
the primary homemaker, who tends to be the one who has specific
requirements in mind, and will always be looking for signs of
cleanliness. You need to go over the kitchen like a health
inspector.
- Clean the oven and keep it that way, even if it means eating
out more often. After cleaning the range, put new drip pans
under the burners, or at least, cover the old ones with foil.
- Clean around the seal of the door to the dishwasher. Make sure
your dishwasher and sinks smell fresh and clean.
- Get rid of that garbage under the sink, and deodorize the
area. This is one of the first places a prospective buyer will
look at.
- Clean around the refrigerator, including the floor area
directly in front. Make sure the "kick" area at the bottom looks
clean. Clean the inside of your refrigerator too. Remove
leftovers, half-empty containers, cardboard boxes, and so on.
Make it look neat and tidy.
- Clean all your bathrooms from top to bottom. Make everything
is as spotless as possible. Messy bathrooms mean you are
flushing money away because prospective buyers zero in on these
rooms.
- Clean walls and floors as thoroughly as possible. Especially
around toilets, in front of sinks, tubs, and shower areas.
- If the walls and woodwork in your bathrooms have not been
painted within the last two years, give them a fresh coat of
paint. Make the colors bright and neutral.
- Bath tubs, showers and sinks should be freshly caulked. All
the grout should be clean and in good condition. There are
excellent cleaners that will do the job without tons of
scrubbing.
- Make sure there are no leaks in the faucets, drains or traps.
- Clean, clean, clean. Get rid of odours, and don't let anyone
use the facilities without making it clear they must clean up
after themselves. Then clean up after them too.
- Replace the shower curtains if they are starting to look a bit
faded. Use bright and cheery colors.
- Always have fresh towels out in the bathrooms so they are
ready to be viewed at a moment's notice.
The most important consideration for the other rooms in your
home is to make them look clean, neat, and uncluttered. You want
to give the impression of space, and having dark colored walls
and floors along with lots of furniture tends to make them look
smaller than they really are. Here are some hints for opening
your rooms up and making them look brighter and larger.
- Start by eliminating some furniture. Most of us like to have
our rooms full of furniture, but prospective buyers are not
there to look at your furniture. The rooms will look smaller to
them when filled with furniture. Select the pieces that look the
best, and put the rest in storage somewhere.
- Paint walls and ceilings that are looking shabby. Use light,
neutral colors if possible.
- Replace all burned out light bulbs, and add brighter ones in
places that could use them -- like halls, vestibules, stairways.
- Make sure window coverings let lots of light in. Make sure
your windows are clean too.
- Closets should not look cluttered and full. Remove stuff from
them that you rarely use. Put it in storage along with your
excess furniture.
- Replace mats and floor coverings in key areas such as your
front entrance and hallways.
Keep a few basic principles in mind as you're getting your home
ready to be viewed. Make it tidy, uncluttered, clean, odorless,
bright, airy, and inviting. You will find there are many things
you can do to enhance its desirability without spending a lot of
money on complicated and expensive renovations or redecorating.
About the author:
Rick Hendershot is a marketing consultant, writer, and internet
publisher. For more Real Estate articles see Free Real Estate
Articles. Go here to post a Free For Sale By
Owner listing.
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