Ways to Increase your Home Value
Don’t Leave Money on the Table! Prep your Home to Sell
When prepping a home for sale, there are 3 things to know:
1. What MUST be done
2. What SHOULD be done, and
3. What is a DON’T BOTHER item.
1. What MUST be done: We recommend doing anything that will be required in order to make the home eligible for a mortgage.
That includes:
– Roof can’t be leaking
– Furnace must work
– Hot Water tank must work
– No chipping/peeling or missing paint on the exterior
– A working stove/range in the kitchen
– No broken windows
– All floor coverings intact with no holes;
– No exposed wiring;- No missing siding
– Gutters and downspouts intact and functioning
– No holes in interior walls
– No leaking plumbing
2. Then there are the items that SHOULD be done. These make your home more attractive to buyers and help you get top dollar. The goal here is to make your home less personal and more like a nice hotel
– Remove all personal photos from all rooms
– Clear all countertops and other surfaces of everything except the bare necessities: no toothpaste tubes, coffee cups, dirty wash-clothes, knick-knacks, etc. Again: think of a hotel room and what you’d find when you first checked in. Once you’ve decluttered, walk through with a Buyer’s eyes, and declutter again! Then it’s time to clean, including: dusting everything, wiping down cupboards and doors, washing windows, shampooing carpets, mopping floors. Hire a cleaning service if you can; we have recommendations if you don’t already have one.
3. Last are the DON’T BOTHER items. These are usually unique to each home, and we are happy to do a quick walk-through of your home to identify what needs to be done, and what doesn’t.