10 Spruce-Up Tips in 10 Days. Get More Added Value to Your Home Before You Put it on the Market!!

Getting Ready for the OPEN HOUSE!!!

This is one that I have mixed emotions about.  I've had a lot of sellers that insist on having an open house for their home.  Very rarely, it's how you sell your home.  It's really a tool that the real estate agents typically use to get more clientele.  Regardless, I want to give you some tips on how to make your open house a successful one.

First, make sure your agent is on top of it.  This means that they are sending out invites to their fellow real estate community, including other agents, mortgage bankers and brokers, home inspectors, etc., not to mention their own client base.  YOU also have a responsibility to be proactive in getting the word out about the Open House.  Make sure that everyone knows that your house is on the market, when the Open House is, and what time it will happen.  

Second, make sure that your house is show-place looking, sparkly clean, absolutely perfect both inside and out.  ZERO excuses.  I don't care how tired you are.  How long your week was.  This is completely your responsibility.  

Third, make sure that your agent is bringing snacks and drinks.  This is one of the draws for people to come!  Seriously!!!!  If your agent isn't planning on bringing anything, either fire your agent and find one that will do it right, or make your own snacks.  And don't complain if you make your own snacks.  If you won't find an agent that will do the job right and you refuse to fire them, that's on YOU!  So don't complain if you aren't doing what's necessary as far as holding your agent's feet to the fire!

Finally, LEAVE and let your agent do their job!  It's not comfortable for perspective buyers to come into your home while you're there and openly discuss how they truly feel about your home.  They will say a lot more to the agent (it's even better if your agent has feedback cards for them to fill out) than they will to you.

Make sure that you sit down with your agent, go over the feedback, and do what you can to fix any issues that seem to be cropping up constantly with more than just one or two potential buyers.  (You will not please everyone.)  Take your emotions OUT of what the people are saying, and focus on what you can fix within reason!  Don't worry about what's out of your control.

Good luck and Happy Selling!!

10 Spruce-Up Tips in 10 Days. Get More Added Value to Your Home Before You Put it on the Market!!

Keep it UP!

This is one of those things that sounds oh-so-easy in print, but it really is a lot harder when you're running around just living life!  In all seriousness, there's things you do for the interior and things you do for the exterior.

For the interior, you need to have a bottle of glass cleaner in every bathroom and in the kitchen.  This is one of the quickest and easiest ways you can keep these rooms clean at all times.  Every morning, spray glass cleaner all over the vanity(-ies) in the bathroom(s) and all over the mirrors.  Wipe down the toilet(s).  Either sweep or run a quick vacuum.  Make sure that the front of the vanity is clean.  In the kitchen, spray every single surface from the counters to the appliances to the front of the cabinets.

You need to make sure that you're dusting every couple of days.  Get either a Swiffer or something similar.  I use those, but I also use microfiber cloths.  You just have to wipe quickly, and you're done.  Do this in every room.  If you have kids, make a game of it! 

Vacuum and sweep.  Set a timer for each room, and just spend 5 minutes in each room doing what it is that you need to do.  At night, do a quick mopping of the floor.  Do this in the bathroom(s) as well.  The cleaning supplies will give you a nice, clean scent, and they will also clean the surfaces for you!  (DUH!)

For the outside, weed once per week in the flower beds.  Weed eat.  Make sure that the bushes are trimmed up nice and pristine.  Mow the lawn.  Water the lawn and plants to keep them looking nice.  Make sure the mulch looks good and fresh!  You want the house to look like the best-maintained one in your neighborhood and hopefully on the market in your price range.  It really does make a difference!!!

You never know when that call is going to come in to show your house.  Keep with it and treat the maintenance of your home with the utmost urgency.  After all, you do want it to sell, right?

Good luck and Happy Selling!

10 Spruce-Up Tips in 10 Days. Get More Added Value to Your Home Before You Put it on the Market!!

Day 1~ Curb Appeal

This is by far one of the things that so many homeowners seem to overlook when preparing to put their home on the market, and I'm not sure why. It's like going on a first date without making sure your clothes match, or you don't have your make-up on!

If potential buyers pull up to your home, there are weeds everywhere, the landscaping hasn't been refreshed, and the lawn is a hot mess, what does that say about the inside of the home? If you can't take care of the exterior, many buyers will assume that the inside is unkempt as well. After searching several sites, including Forbes.com and psychologicalscience.org, it takes anywhere between one tenth of a second to seven seconds to develop an opinion of someone or something.

So now, you're wondering what you can do to not only make a fantastic first impression, but also recoup what you invest. According to the article “Top 15 Home Updates That Pay Off” on FrontDoor.com, you can expect to get up to 100% of your money back that you put into your landscape! And if you do the work on your own, you will be adding sweat equity, and your return could be much higher. However, don't take on more than you know you can handle. You don't want your yard to turn into an even worse turn-off than it already was! Contact a landscape designer who can come up with a plan. If you're comfortable with following their design plan and doing the work on your own, then GREAT! You'll pay for the plan, the plants, and you can add extra value with your own sweat equity. If you're not comfortable with it, however, leave the work to the pros!

There are some simple things you can do on your own, that could make a huge impact, though. One easy fix is adding planters to your front entrance and rear entrance. It makes it seem fresh and appears inviting. And please make sure that the planters are clean, fresh and inviting! (In another post, I'm going to talk about cleaning the porch...) If your porch is large enough, maybe a rocking chair or bistro set will add some charm! In the back, add an eating area and possibly a fire pit. Home buyers want to envision making s'mores by the fire, entertaining friends, or maybe reading a book on a porch. The possibilities are endless!

Remember to keep it simple. You don't have to spend thousands to make your yard look like a million!