|
|
Chapter 7 Introduction
|
Consider what happens to a used car when it is traded in at a dealership. Almost the minute the deal is made, the car is whisked away for a thorough detail job, mechanical inspection, and repairs so that the dealer can sell it for top dollar. Somehow, the next buyer ends up believing that the spotless interior means that the car has been immaculately maintained for all of its 93,999 miles.
Just as a few hundred dollars can reap, perhaps, thousands more for a car, your home deserves a detail job in preparation for hitting the real estate market.
What can you do to show it to best advantage? Start by asking your agent for suggestions. Better yet, walk through some model homes and see some of the more inexpensive touches professional furnishers and decorators use that make a huge difference to potential homebuyers.
If you are selling on your own, call in a brutally honest friend. You want someone who will view your house with a fresh eye. After all, you may have learned to live with that broken front step, perhaps even having stopped noticing it altogether. But anyone else approaching your home will notice it instantly. You can go over the house and grounds yourself with the checklist in Figure 7.1.
FIGURE 7.1
✎House and Grounds Preparation Checklist
Needs Work When to Do
Exterior
Cut grass (shovel snow)
Mend fence, gate, steps
Install house numbers
Plant annual flowers
Pick up toys, tools, etc.
Move camper, old car
Trim shrubs
Edge lawns
Seal blacktop driveway
Close garage door
Store trash cans
Wash windows
Entrance
Tighten handrail
Replace light bulbs
Mend doorbell
Buy new doormat
Mend screen
Remove pawprints and fingerprints
Paint threshold
Polish brass
Front hall
Clean out closet
Remove clutter
Add a plant, fresh flowers
Living room
Remove crowded pieces
Pack away distracting items
Clean out fireplace ashes, lay fire
Shampoo carpet
Repaint stained ceiling
Needs Work When to Do
Kitchen
Clean stove and oven
Clear counters
Scrub sink
Remove fingerprints
Replace faucet washers
Starch curtains
Add a plant
Bathroom
Replace shower curtain
Freshen grout around tub
Change toilet seat
Remove personal items
Bring in a plant
Clean (repaint) medicine cabinet
Buy new towels
Remove tub mat
Bedrooms
Store personal items
Remove valuables
Clear dressers
Clean out closet
Add live plant
Remove excess furniture
Attic, basement
Clear stairs
Check light bulbs
Vacuum floors
Dust away cobwebs
Straighten stored items
Garage
Hose down floor
Tidy stored items
Keep doors closed
Replace light bulbs
What you are looking for is advice on which features can be inexpensively improved and which may be left alone. You can spend little or no money and still enhance your property markedly. Attend first to all those items that require no expense. |
| |
 Back to Chapter Introduction |
< Previous | Next >
|
|
|
|
|
