Inside your home

Living in your home is different than “selling” your home. Something you may not notice or possibly overlook could stand out to a potential buyer.  Step back and look at your home from a buyer’s perspective, rooms should be clean, dusted and uncluttered.  Buyers need to be able to picture themselves in your home. Cleaning up and fixing things, allows the buyer to feel they can move right in without having to do excess cleaning or make repairs prior to moving. The items below are a start to the process.

• Floors - Steam clean carpets and wax floors if needed.
• Walls - Wash walls or paint if cleaning is not sufficient, neutral colors are best. Patch cracks and fix nail holes.
• Lighting - Do necessary things to brighten the interior. Replace any burned out bulbs. Brighten a particularly dark room by adding lamps. Open curtains or blinds, allowing prospects to see how bright and cheery your home is.
• Plumbing - Check all faucets, kitchen and bathrooms, fixing any drips or leaks. A dripping faucet can suggest faulty or worn out plumbing.
• Kitchen – Your kitchen should sparkle! Clean counters, appliances and fixtures. Clear counter tops of small appliances and clutter.
• Bathrooms – Bathrooms should be cleaned thoroughly. Check tubs and showers for damaged or unsightly caulking. Clear surfaces of unnecessary clutter. Display your best towels, mats and shower curtains.
• All rooms – Rearrange or remove furniture to make rooms look more spacious. Too much furniture and too many knickknacks make rooms seem small and cluttered. One or two decorative pieces per surface is adequate. Less furniture and clutter allow the potential buyer to envision their own furnishings in the home.
• Storage space/closets – Keep in mind, buyers are looking for more than just comfortable living space. Quite often they are looking for additional storage space as well. Keep attic and basement areas clean and free of unnecessary items. Clean out and organize closets. The better organized closets are, the larger they appear.
• Pets – Pet areas should be kept clean and odor-free. Pets should be kept out of the way.