Selling your home? Think about it.
If there aren’t already a few “For Sale” signs in your neighborhood, there may very well be in the near future: as the weather warms, house-hunting season gets into full swing. If your house is one that will soon be sporting its own “For Sale” sign, here are four things to think about alongside the more traditional home prep steps (painting, clearing up clutter, etc.).
#1: Think Pretty
That’s right: pretty. No, I don’t care if you’re the neighborhood tough guy with a reputation to protect. Go out and plant some of the brightest, prettiest flowers you can find.
First impressions matter, and an attractive, well-tended front yard gives the impression that everything else about the house is equally attractive and well-tended.
Exercise some moderation, though. If your lawn ends up looking like it requires the services of a full-time gardener, you might turn people away.
#2: Think Different
Whether you’ve been in your house for as little as two years or as long as 20 years, you’ve been there long enough to grow accustomed to some of its imperfections. The missing shoe molding in the dining room doesn’t really stand out anymore, and the crack along the back of the kitchen counter is all but invisible.
Except it isn’t.
A prospective buyer will zero in on such imperfections, no matter how seemingly minor. After all, this is a big deal for them, and the gravity of the situation can significantly heighten their awareness of their surroundings.
To help you see the house with buyer’s eyes, try looking at it differently. Literally. Take a walk outside and look at your house from across the street. Look at it from your neighbor’s driveway, and even from the street behind yours.
How does the landscaping look?
Have you been storing junk behind the garage that makes the area back there look unkempt?
Are any leaves or branches poking up from the eve’s trough, and does the siding look firm?
You may think you’ve seen your house plenty of times from the outside, but make a conscious effort to look at it from angles you’re not used to.
Employ the same technique inside your home. Sit on the floor and look around. Vacuuming aside (it’s amazing how big dust bunnies look from that vantage point), what looks a little worn and lackluster? That missing shoe molding will really stand out now.
If you have a sturdy step-stool, use it to get a higher view of the rooms of your house. Are the blinds coming apart from their support brackets in the kids’ bedroom? Is that a small crack at the curve of the coved ceiling in the dining room?
It’s not an elaborate technique, but it might just help you see things with a fresh perspective.
#3: Think Dollars and Sense
Okay, you’ve identified some things around the house that need work. But before you rush to address all of them, think about what it will cost versus what you’ll make back in a sale.
Obviously, if a tree has fallen on your garage and taken a chunk of roof with it, you want to fix that. But pouring a new driveway because your current one is cracked and bumpy might not be the best idea.
If you can fix something, and then make up for that cost when you sell your home, do it. If you don’t feel that your efforts will pay off, don’t do it.
It’s like this: if you’re going to spend $1 and get $1.10 back, go for it; if you’re going to spend $1 and get 50 cents back, don’t do it.
#4: Think Teamwork
You’re not alone. Your Realtor will help identify the things you may need to take care of, and your family and friends can help with painting, landscaping, etc.
Even more help might be right around the corner. Or, for that matter, right next door. Talk to your neighbors. Let them know that you plan on putting your house on the market and see if there’s anything they can do to spruce up their own yards. Their attention to detail doesn’t need to be as precise as yours, but trimming hedges, picking up fallen branches and planting a few flowers of their own can do wonders to the curb appeal of your immediate surroundings.
And lest you feel too uncomfortable making such a request, let them know that you will provide some free labor to help them make their own homes look better. That’s not a bad trade; they should recognize the value of your offer and jump at the chance for a little help themselves.
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Preparing to put your house on the market can be a very stressful experience, but it should go just fine provided you think about it.
And plant lots of pretty flowers.