Preparing to Sell

The very first step in getting ready to sell can be one of the most difficult; the mental preparation! For most of us, selling the family home can be an emotionally charged experience.All of our homes are loaded with memories of our children growing up, family celebrations and a host of other special memories. Trying to disassociate ourselves from the memories attached to our homes, although extremely challenging, is an important first step when preparing to sell. Make the mental decision to ‘let go’, and try to focus on the fact that the sale of your home is a business decision.Your home is a product to be sold. Remember that you are making this choice because you have a desire to ‘move on’ and explore new opportunities. Visualize yourself handing over the keys to the new owners and focus on the preparation for the next phase of your life!

Lose The Clutter!

It is amazing the amount of ‘valuable possessions’ we tend to collect. It can be hard to ‘see’ a home when it is overrun with knickknacks. Simply put, they are distracting to a buyer and often the buyer will not remember your house. You don’t want your house being remembered as, “oh ya, that house with all the knickknacks”. Consider this: if you haven’t used it in over a year, you probably don’t need it and it is time to get rid of it. As far as mental preparation, consider donating your superfluous items to a worthy charity.

• Remove all the ‘extras’ from your bookcases. Bookcases are for books!
• Pack up those knickknacks.
• Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
• Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.

Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway. Tupperware bins can be your best friend!

De-Personalize.

Pack up some of those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can’t see past personal artifacts. Again, you don’t want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can’t do that if yours are there! You don’t want to make any buyer ask, “I wonder what kind of people live in this home?” You want buyers to say, “I can see myself living here.”

Clean Out and Organize Your Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets.

Buyers love to explore behind closet and cabinet doors. Generally, buyers want to get a feel for how much storage space they are going to have, and be comfortable knowing that they will have ample amounts. Imagine the message it sends to a buyer prospect when they pull open the closet door only to be hit with objects flying out of it. Ok, so that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but if your closets and cupboards are stuffed to the maximum, the message it sends is that there is a limited amount of storage. Again, have a critical look at what lurks in the cupboards and throw out or donate the things you don’t use. Beyond that, if a buyer see that everything is organized it can inspire confidence that you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well.

Remove The Extra Furniture.

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don’t want buyers scratching their heads and saying, “What is this room used for?”

Remove Or Replace Your Favorite Items.

If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother and you can’t live without it, take it down. As soon as a buyer sees it is in the house it can, and likely will, become a negotiating item. As soon as a buyer finds out that something they want they can’t have, they will covet it and it can be a deal killer. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.

Do Some Easy Repairs.

This is where you need to make a list. Get a piece of paper and a pen. Title each page with the room name and look for the minor repairs that the room needs and write them down. Then go through your list and make the required repairs. Trying to do this from memory will be an exercise in frustration and you’ll inevitably end up backtracking again and again.

• Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
• Patch holes in walls.
• Fix leaky faucets.
• Fix doors that don’t close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
• Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls. (Don’t give buyers any reason to remember your home as “the house with the electric blue bathroom.”)
• Replace burned-out light bulbs.
• If you’ve considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!
• WD40 the door hinges.
• Do paint touch ups to the baseboards and window trims.
• Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
• Concrete basement interior walls? Paint them with a neutral colour.
• Paint stained concrete floors in garages.

Clean the House So It Shines!

• Wash windows inside and out.
• Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
• Clean out cobwebs.
• Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
• Clean out the refrigerator.
• Vacuum daily.
• Wax floors.
• Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
• Bleach dingy grout.
• Replace worn rugs.
• Hang up fresh towels.
• Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no.

Review Your Work.

Open your front door, go outside and look at your house with a critical eye. Do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you? What would make you want to buy it? Solve the answers to those questions then head inside.

When a buyer opens your front door for the first time, what do they see? First impressions are lasting impressions; make sure you set the initial tone as a positive one by having your home organized, tidy and inviting. Go and look in every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer. What would be a turn on, what would be a turn off? Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense. Make sure window coverings and pictures hang level.

Tune in to the room’s statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and zing?
Does it look like nobody lives in this house? Does this look like a place you would want to come home to if you were the buyer?

How’s The Curb Appeal?

This is the first, first impression for your home. If a buyer won’t get out of their car because they don’t like the way your home looks from the road, well, the inside isn’t really going to matter. Trim the bushes. The buyer needs to be able to ‘see’ what they are going to buy. It also speaks volumes in terms of how well the house is maintained.

• Keep the sidewalks cleared and pressure wash them.
• Mow the lawn.
• Paint faded window trim.
• Plant  flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow is said to instill a buying emotion, so yellow flowers are a good choice!
• Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.
• Paint railings and decks as needed.
• Repair gutters and fascia boards as needed.
• Doorbell works?