Preparing Your Home For Sale

Despite a slight increase in single family homes for sale after the first of the year, it’s still a frustrating buyer’s market with aging inventory. Making your home market ready for a buyer, who may have unrealistic expectations for a home that is twenty or more years old, is definitely challenging for sellers so here are some helpful hints that may help create a sale. Most of us go in and out of our garage but buyers start at the front door so make sure the porch is shoveled and your Christmas decorations are down. A nice winter or soon to be spring wreath is a welcoming precursor to a home tour. In the spring, touch up the paint around the door frame and make sure the key in the lock box doesn’t stick when trying to open the front door.

Inside the home, change out all your light bulbs to the highest wattage available. Consider adding some contemporary light fixtures. They’re not all that expensive at Lowe’s or Home Depot. Light fixtures are the jewelry of the home and can update an older home. Make sure all your lights are on for a showing, even when the sun is shining. More light makes all spaces appear larger. Take down heavy draperies or curtains, particularly those that are made from heavy material. Stylized, gathered draperies make a house feel heavy. Instead, consider some window shades or levelers. Make your home more spacious by removing items off the floor like that worn out ottoman, stacks of magazines, that chair you could never figure out where to put. More floor space gives breathing room to a home and allows buyers to use their imagination when placing their own furniture. If you have a beautiful yard and garden in the summer, make sure to have the photos available on the dining room table. Costco has a great program that inexpensively enlarges photos so check it out.

Remove and replace broken shower tile and graying grout. Freshen up the bathrooms with some new towels.  Knobs and pulls in the kitchen go a long way to wake up aging cabinets. Add a couple of live plants. Hang some art work from Pier One or Target. Take the blender, kitchen aid, toaster off your countertops. Leave the coffee maker. You’ll need it for all those home buying tours. My home has some purple and dark red walls but it is not for sale because my husband won’t move. If it was, however, back to neutral. You might love, green, orange, or purple but if you’re putting your home up for sale, paint it out with a neutral white or at best grayish. And that includes rec rooms and children’s bedrooms. Clean your garage and paint the walls white with a primer. It makes even a small garage look larger.

Buyers have a hard time looking beyond clutter and bright colors. That’s not what you want buyers to see or remember when they tour your home. If you would like a personal consultation, or have any questions, please contact me at cyoshimura@gci.net. I look forward to hearing from you.