Local Selling Tips

When it comes time to prepare your home for showing you might want to consider hiring a professional to help. If you choose to do it yourself here are some tips for you to think about. In doing this, you will be ahead of most of the sellers already on the market in the way your home shows.

INSIDE

• Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house
• Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops
• In the bathroom, remove items from the countertops, tubs, shower stalls and commode tops
• Be sure that the bathroom tubs, tile, sinks, shower floor and ceiling and toilet bowls are free
• of mildew and look sparkling clean
• Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary
• Take down or rearrange pictures or objects on walls
• Patch and paint where necessary
• Review the house inside room by room, and:
  -Paint any room needing paint
  -Clean carpets and vacuum drapes that need it
  -Clean windows and cobwebs from ceilings and chandeliers
• Make sure the closets and garage are not “too full”
• Replace burned out light bulbs and repair any faulty switches
• Repairs and improvements will facilitate a sale being made
• Make certain all rooms are odor-free

OUTSIDE

• Go around perimeter of the house and remove all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc, into the garage or trash
• Check gutters and/or roof for leaks and/or dry rot
• Weed and then mulch all planting areas
• Clear patios and decks of all small items, such as small planters, flowerpots, charcoal, barbecues, toys, etc
• Check paint condition on the house, especially the front door and trim
• Review if shutters, shingles, stone or bricks need replacing
• Check exterior stairs and handrails; walkways, screens, screen doors

IN GENERAL

• Try to look at your house “through a buyer’s eyes” as though you have never seen it before