You are ready to list your home for sale but are not sure what steps to take to maximize your homes’s value, let Fixed Rate Real Estate be your guide! We’re here to coach you through making a great first impression to potential buyers.
To maximize curb appeal (exterior of your home), we recommend you mow the lawn, trim shrubs, edge gardens and walkway, weed and mulch, sweep walkways and driveway, add floral color to fill in bare spots, repair patio and deck areas, paint/refinish if needed, remove any outdoor furniture that is not in good condition, repair broken windows, replace torn screens, shine hardware on front door and outside lighting, repair gutters/eaves, add a new front door mat and consider a seasonal door decoration.
On the inside of your home, ensure your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are functioning, secure any medications and valuables, remove personal photos and anything that might distract a buyer, add a fresh coat of interior paint in a neutral color, declutter and remove extra furniture and worn rugs. Give your home a good cleaning, polish hardwood floors (refinish if necessary), scrub tile and grout, shampoo the carpeting, dust blinds, have any fireplaces professionally cleaned and serviced, clean out and organize closets and box up items you won’t need before the move, repair problems such as loose door knobs, cracked molding, leaking taps and toilets, squeaky doors, and closet or screen doors that are off their tracks, change any burnt lightbulbs.
In the kitchen, make sure all appliances are spotless inside and out and in working order, clear off the top and front of the refrigerator and under the sink, clean the baseboards, declutter countertops, organize items in cabinets and limit countertop appliances. Remove rust and mildew in bathrooms, make sure tile, fixtures and shower odors are clean sand in good working order, replace loose caulking or grout, make sure lighting is bright, but soft and organize and limit toiletries.
In bedrooms, arrange furnishings to create a spacious look with well-defined sitting, sleeping and dressing areas. Clean up the garagte, provide strong overhead light and remove unnecessary itmes, creating more floor space.
In the basement, tidy storage and work areas, change the furnace filter, have the unit professionally cleaned, serviced and certified so that the inspection access is easy.
Obviously the end goal is to make your home as presentable as possible, helping you maximize the value to potential buyers. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks from Fixed Rate Real Estate.
