First Impressions: Maintain your home’s front appearance; Fertilize lawns, plant fresh flowers, trim overgrown shrubs, and sweep up landscape rocks. Painting can be tough work, but a little touching up goes a long way. Make sure that the front door is inviting and clean. Inspect your roof for lifting shingles or tile, cracked or misplaced tiles. Clean and repair driveway (try to remove tire & rubber marks) and sidewalk cracks. Clean up oil stains, mend and paint neighboring fences.
Spruce up the House: Simple & inexpensive decorations such as plants & flowers. Touch up trim with fresh paint (think neutral paint, such as an off white, the more neutral appearing your home is will allow buyers to visualize their furnishing in the home, which may contribute to a quicker sale). Have the carpet professionally cleaned if stained.
Bathrooms and Kitchens: These rooms may be the most important rooms for buyers to make their decision to purchase or not. Check and repair caulking in showers, bathtubs & sinks. Check grout on tile flooring and counter tops. These commonly overlooked items can cause you to miss out on buyers. Install new shower curtains, hang fresh towels, keep bathrooms looking clean and smelling fresh. Let the natural light into the kitchen. Stove and oven should be kept as clean as possible and do not let the dishes pile up.
Remove Clutter: Have a garage sale and get rid of any unnecessary items not needed for the move. Organize the closets so they appear to be able to store more. Remove excess furniture and create a sense of openness. Buyers are attempting to place their furniture in your home mentally, make it as easy as possible and clutter free.
Security: This is a mandatory step in the process of selling your home. As a homeowner you may own guns, jewelry, artwork, priceless items, and cash that could be devastating to lose. It is a good idea to either lock away or even relocate them to a secure storage facility. Another good idea is to keep your doors locked and secure when you leave. With today’s technology we are able to keep a log of all agents that access the property; times, dates etc. New technology can now control the hours that the electronic lock boxes are available for viewing of your home and your privacy.