When you are getting a new job in a place that is far from where you are currently residing, one of your first concerns would be about your current home. You might want to sell it and gain a good profit out of it. People go for expensive makeovers like installing a new kitchen, putting in new rooms and so on. There is no point in making such expensive moves because your buyer will not be willing to pay that extra money. However, you need to tidy up the home and make it presentable so the buyer will be impressed.
Photo courtesy – Marcia Todd at Flickr.com
Here is how you can prepare your home for a sale:
The Exterior
The exterior of your home includes the entryway, driveway, lawn, garage, sunshades and so on.
Entryway
You can start by making your entryway attractive. That is the first thing that most people see when they look at your house. Have a brightly painted door with freshly polished carved knobs. The door can have a lovely, conventional looking lamp hanging above it. You can add urns with plants on both sides to add to the effect. And don’t forget an attractive doormat too.
The Lawn
Keep your lawn clean, fresh, green, trimmed and cut. Add in a few wicker chairs and a table to complete the effect.
Garage
Keep the garage doors cleaned and closed. Of course, clean the garage when you have the time.
Photo courtesy – Morgan at Flickr.com
The Interior
You have to look at every room of your house and decide on how you want it to look to the buyer. However, remember to open the windows in all your rooms, so they look airy and well-lighted when you are showing it to the buyer. Apart from that, here are certain simple tips you can remember:
Removing All the Unnecessary Things
If you are a lazy person, then you would throw out junk only when you are painting your house or preparing it for sale. So that is the first thing you should do. After all, you are not going to take them all to your new place, are you? You can make this chore interesting by doing it with your kids. It will help you reminiscence about the ‘junk’ and what purpose you had for them.
Polishing and Cleaning
Your kitchen and bathroom have cabinets will be dull from constant use. You do not have to paint the cabinets, but you must polish the knob. Similarly, the tiles in the bathroom should be scrubbed and clean; the buyers have a right to look there too.
Removing the Clutter
Not just children clutter the rooms; you do it too. How does your home office and TV viewing room look like? Do you have any idea of the number of cables that is lying here and there? Keep only the ones you need and tape them to the wall so they don’t look a tangled mess.
For a well-planned showing, you need to take time to prepare your home. Your realtor should help you with that. If you are in a hurry to sell your home and take off to your new destination then you may not be able to get the price it deserves. On the hand, if you are going to be pretty indecisive on whom to sell your house to, then it will sit in the market for weeks and months.