Preparing Your Home for Sale

 

Preparing Your Home:

1. Commit to your move by prepacking.

  • Sort and purge. Every space, closet and drawer should be only 2/3 full. Show buyers that your house has the space they need.
  • Put everything you do not use on a daily basis into off site storage. If you must store some things in the garage, use moving boxes.

2. Depersonalize:

  • remove all family pictures, collections  and memorabilia.
  • Clear off your fridge
  • Minimize holiday decorations
  • Minimize religious or political imagery
  • Create a blank canvas for someone else’s dreams.

3. Repairs and Maintenance

  • Attend to every detail. When buyers find little things, such as a doorbell that doesn’t work, they wonder what else has not been looked after.
  • Buyers are looking for a home, not another job. If there is a lot of work to do they will lower the price.
  • Buyers are willing to pay more for turn-key condition
  • Big ticket items that buyers are wary of in older homes are the condition of the roof, windows and furnace. If these items have not been recently upgraded you will need to reduce your asking price with replacement in mind. Make sure your realtor includes that information in your listing so that it does not become an issue during negotiations.
  • Other issues in older homes to look out for:
  1. Aluminum wiring
  2. Asbestos
  3. Vermiculite
  4. Oil furnaces (buried)

4. Cleanliness

  • Your home should be Q-tip clean. Spot cleaning will not suffice.
  • Pay special attention to smells. Pet smells, heavy cooking odors or smoking smells will turn buyers off as soon as they step into the entry.

5. Lighting

  • Poorly lit rooms are depressing and uninviting.
  • Add lights/lamps
  • Increase the wattage of your blubs
  • Turn on all the lights when you are preparing for a showing
  • Open or remove curtains that restrict the daylight
  • Trim any trees or bushes that are blocking the windows
  • Repaint the rooms in light neutral colours that reflect more light

6. Show a room’s proper function

  • Identify your target market and arrange your home accordingly creating a clear purpose for each room according to your buyers needs, not yours.

Where to spend your money:

  1. Paint with light neutral paint colours will go with anyone’s furniture
  • Add colour and texture for interest with your accessories: flowers, area rugs, toss cushions.
  • Remove all wallpaper before your paint.
  1. Update your flooring
  • Clean or replace old carpet. Cut pile is good for a more formal look and berber for more casual.
  • Look for old hardwood under your carpet (peek at your heating vents). Yes? – remove carpets and refinish the wood.
  • Use good quality laminate flooring judiciously. Too much can make it look like a plastic house.
  • Hardwood is always an asset.
  • Vinyl can be an economical alternative to tile.

Kitchen: Create a contemporary look

  • Replace or paint your counter tops
  • Paint your cabinets?
  • Update your cabinet hardware
  • Update your sink and faucet
  • Stainless appliances always make an impression.

Bathrooms: Create a spa-like atmosphere

  • Replace or paint the counters
  • Clean or stain old grout, & renew caulking
  • Update the mirror and vanity light
  • Paint the cabinet
  • Update cabinet hardware and towel rails
  • Have an old tub refitted or resurfaced
  • Replace coloured sinks and toilets with white or bone
  • Remove tub/shower sliding doors
  • Use hotel-style curved shower curtains with new curtains (use 2 for fullness)
  • Display fluffy white towels

Master bedroom: Create a sanctuary like get away space

  • Use neutral fresh bed linens
  • Seriously declutter.
  • Organize all your closets and shelves.
  • Use wooden hangers and shoe racks