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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Getting Your Home Ready to Sell: Part 1 of 2

Are you planning to put your house up for sale this year? Here are some simple things you can do to make your home more marketable.

Set aside a couple of hours one afternoon and grab a pad and pencil to make notes. Look at your house critically, the way a stranger would see it for the first time.

Curb Appeal
What impression does your house give when you pull up to the curb in front? Is the paint peeling and the yard unkempt? Or does the house look well cared for with a neat, tidy yard? First impressions mean everything, and potential homebuyers expect the exterior of the house to reflect the interior.

Interior
Once you're done making notes outside, move inside. Go through your house one room at a time, making a list as you go. Do any walls need to be repainted? Does the carpeting need to be replaced or will a professional cleaning be enough? Are there any repairs that you just haven't gotten around to? That leaky faucet or broken doorknob may not bother you, but it could be a warning to potential buyers that there has been little or no maintenance done on the house.

The List
When you have finished going through your house, sit down, take a look at your list and start prioritizing. Which things can you do for yourself and which things do you need to hire someone for? Some people love yard work, others hate it. Figure out which one you are and plan accordingly. Same goes for anything inside the house. If you are not a fix-it person and don't know the difference between a phillips and a flathead screwdriver, do not try to do it yourself thinking that you will save a few bucks! You'll just end up spending more money in the long run when you have to hire someone to undo your mistakes and do it the right way. Tackle the tasks on your list the same way you began, one room at a time, and you'll be done before you know it.

It may seem like a lot of effort and money to spend on a house that you are selling, but a couple hundred dollars up front could mean a quicker sale and could end up saving you thousands on your sales price.

Next blog
Getting Your Home Ready to Sell: Part 2 of 2
Staging Your Home

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