Ready to Sell?

 

So you've decided to sell your home, how exciting! Whether you've sold dozens of homes or you're getting ready to sell the first home you ever bought, we hope the following information will give you an idea of things you can do to make your home stand out in today's real estate market.

Curb Appeal

Homes are not sold as they are lived in. When REALTORS® and buyers refer to curb appeal, they're talking about the initial impact the home makes when the buyer first views it. Interested in putting your home on the market but not sure what repairs or touchups need to be done? Bankrolling repairs and touch ups and sacrificing weekends to get them done can be really overwhelming. Not to worry! There are plenty of no cost or low cost ways to get your home ready to show. Here are some things we often recommend to our sellers:

Exterior:

Make sure the front entryway is extra clean. Buyers will be standing and looking around while the agent is getting the key.

Clean up the landscaping by getting rid of any dead plants and adding fresh mulch where needed.

Remove weeds from your driveway's concrete gaps.

Use a high pressure nozzle and hose off the siding to remove dirt and growth, this will really make your home pop!

Roll up hoses.

Put trash cans away and out of sight.

 

We recommend walking across the street from your home and pretending you're a buyer pulling up to the property for the first time. What do your eyes fall on first?

Preparing to List

Buyers' impression as they enter the home set the stage for the rest of the showing. Your house should be a clean slate. Having your home as close to spotless as possible is imperative in helping buyers imagine themselves living in the home. If a home looks dingy and unkept potential buyers might think other maintenance hasn't been kept up with as well. Just like you did on the exterior, walk inside of your home like a potential buyer would. What are your eyes drawn to?

 

Interior:

Wipe down walls and doors to remove fingerprints, dust, and other marks.

Vacuum or dust all air vents and return air vents.

Wipe down the furnace and hot water tank.

Use a damp cloth to remove dust from baseboards and touchup with paint where needed.

Refresh carpets by having them professionally cleaned. If this is out of your budget you can opt for renting a carpet cleaner and doing it yourself. At the very least give your carpets a hardy vacuum.

Wipe down kitchen cabinets.

Vacuum window sills. Few things are more of a turn off than a collection of dead bugs waiting for buyers to pull up the blinds.

Take down family photos. Buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living in your home, some buyers find this difficult to do when a home looks lived in.

Make all beds in the home.

Revive old woodwork with Watco Rejuvenating Oil, Howard Restor-a-Finish, or Old English.

 

While Listed

We recommend keeping your house in "show ready" condition by completing a short list of tasks every day your home has showings scheduled.

 

Showing Day Task List:

Wipe down countertops

Give floors a fresh vacuum

Make your bed

Clean and put away dirty dishes

Pick up kids toys

Open all curtains and blinds

Turn on all the lights

We understand that this is a lot of information. We're working on putting together a printable checklist of this information so you can pin it to your fridge and check off items as you go. Trust us, we've been in business for over 20 years. It's the little things that make all the difference when it comes to the impact a home makes on potential buyers.

Are you interested in receiving in-depth and personalized recommendations for making your specific home stand out in the housing market? Give The Gundersen Group a call today at 913-485-1055 or send us an email at team@searchheartland.com. We look forward to hearing from you.