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Tips to prepare your house before showings.
... and things to fix before placing your house on the market.
First impressions are very important.
Following these tips will give you a competitive edge over other listings in your market.
In Florida, a home owner must disclose anything that is broken and
materially affect the value of the home before selling it.
Since a $200.00 repair problem becomes a $2,000.00 problem in the
buyer's eyes it is always recommended to fix things before placing your home on the market.
Another disadvantage in not repairing the smaller problem is
the idea created in the mind of the buyer, that if you let the
small problem exist - what other much larger problems are hidden?
General
→ If there are items attached to the house and that you want to
keep, they should be removed or replace before anyone shows your house.
→ Place all valuable items out of sight. Guns, jewelry, silverware, and
collections. Anything of value needs to be hidden or brought along with you when you leave the house during visits.
→ Clear your medicine cabinet by storing away high-cost medicine and
drugs that may be of value. Some people go to open house just to steal drugs from medicine cabinets.
→ Start by airing out the home. Most people are turned off by even the
smallest odor. Odors must be eliminated, especially those caused by dogs and cats; soiled diapers and/or cigarettes.
→ Garbage cans need to be stored neatly in the garage or designated area.
→ Put bright light bulbs in every socket made for a bulb.
Consider higher wattage light bulbs everywhere. The added light can make a difference.
All light sockets should be filled with bulbs that work. Buyers like bright & cheery homes.
→ Wash all the windows in the home, inside and out. Dress window with clean curtains.
Ensure windows are not sticking. Use curtains to conceal less-than-desirable views.
→ If it has been over a year since the carpets have been cleaned, now is the
time to have them cleaned. Bare floors should also be waxed or polished.
→ Keep all steps clear of hazards.
→ Vacuum home, straighten up newspapers, etc.
→ Take down personal pictures and patch up holes in wall.
Storing your personal pictures and frames early will ensure that they are well packed and
protected ready for the move and not thrown in last minute in an open box. Put away all collections.
→ Store collectibles, family pictures, figurines and fragile items.
→ Store any object with religious or political significance, sports,
mementos, as well as any business, sports, personal awards.
→ Store your family photos.
→ Ensure door knobs are not loose.
→ Ensure doors are not sticking or squeaking.
→ Make sure all wall switches "do something." Lights, radio, etc. comes on when switched on.
→ Make sure cabinet doors open properly and don't squeak.
→ Clean the ashes out of the fireplace.
→ Make sure that the pull-down staircase is working correctly. Be sure there is a light in the attic.
→ Decorate in neutral colors.
→ Remove all crowded furniture. Open the room up, show lots of space - with an even flow pattern.
→ Please refrain from smoking in the house, a much larger percentage of buyers will not look at a house if it smells of smoke.
→ Refrain from the use of potpourri, many people are allergic to the odors.
→ Clean and repair all cracked windows.
Outside Appeal
→ Your front door is very important, Buyers wait there before entering and
form their first impressions while their agent is getting the lock box open.
Make sure it is very clean or painted if necessary, and see that the doorbell is working properly.
→ Oil squeaky doors.
→ Keep the porch swept and get an attractive mat for people to wipe their feet.
→ Trim trees and shrubs, clean out flower beds and invest in a few flats of seasonal flowers.
Keep lawn trimmed and edged. Make sure that your yard is clean of refuse.
→ Cut lawns, shrubs and plant fresh growing colorful flowers.
→ Edge the lawn and use quick greening fertilizer.
→ Add mulch to flower beds and shrubs.
→ Wash or paint the mailbox and make sure it is standing straight.
→ The pool needs to be sparkling and free of leaves.
→ Make sure the grounds, porches, garage are clean, clear of debris and toys.
Keep children's toys out of the front yard, sidewalks and front porch.
Foyer
→ The foyer supports the desire to look further. Make sure it is clean, no
cluttered furniture, light fixtures sparkle, floors are spotless and the general area is inviting.
→ A small entrance table with fresh cut flowers adds a nice touch.
→ The guest closet, 50% of hanging clothing should be taken out. No boxes or clutter. Lots of room.
Consider placing a deodorant bar in that closet.
Walls, hallways
→ If dingy, repaint or rewallpaper
→ Stairs, handrail is tight and secure.
Kitchen
→ All appliances must be spotless. Clean the oven and the
stove until they shine. Clean the refrigerator.
Clean the inside of the dishwasher.
→ Clean Counters, Wash dishes, put away clothes.
→ Make sure the faucets are not dripping, a drip discolors the
sink and suggests that plumbing repairs may be required.
→ Place nice decoration in the kitchen.
→ Remove all pictures and hangings from the fridge door including
all refrigerator magnets and items from the front and the sides.
→ Straighten cupboards that appear cluttered and keep
floors gleaming. People want to see space, lots of space.
→ If you have limited counter space in the kitchen, keep
unnecessary items put away, you want to create an impression of space.
→ If your appliances are old, new appliances in the kitchen can be an
exciting feature that can actually make the difference in a buyer choosing your home over another.
→ Remove all trash daily.
→ Remove pet dishes, toys and litter boxes from the kitchen.
→ Have dated appliances re-finished (gold, brown, avocado green). Consider replacing them.
→ For eat-in kitchen, take out extra leaf in table. Nice tablecloth. Center piece arrangement.
→ Open curtains and let lots of light in.
Dinning Room
→ Take extra leaf out of table.
→ Put nice white tablecloth on table.
→ Nice arrangement in center of table.
→ Clean chandelier and light fixtures. The globes from the chandelier can be put in dishwasher.
Bathrooms
→ Bathrooms are very important and help sell homes.
→ Put away all medications. Remove personal toiletries on display.
→ Make sure your bathrooms shine. All soap and products hiding under cabinet.
→ Bathtubs, showers and sinks should be freshly caulked. The grout should be clean and in good condition.
→ Repair loose or cracked tile.
→ Glue down all wallpaper where loose.
→ Repair or replace defective exhaust fans.
→ There should be no leaks in the faucet or traps.
→ Downplay dated ceramic tile color with white towels
→ Leave the shower curtain open
→ GFI outlet if present should be in working condition.
Bedrooms
→ Make up beds with clean spreads.
→ Remove clutter and excess furniture to make rooms look larger.
→ Select furniture pieces that look best, and store the rest.
→ All children's toys put away.
→ Remove dark or outdated wallpaper. Paint if needed with light neutral color.
→ Organize shoes in closet.
→ Open curtains.
→ Clean ceiling fans and light fixtures.
Closets and storage areas
→ Dispose of items you don't need, pack them away in boxes to make rooms look larger.
→ Clean out closets, cabinets and drawers. Closets should look like they
have enough room to hold additional items. Get everything off the floor and don't have the shelves piled to the ceiling.
→ All ladder rungs are secure and the light works in the attic.
Garage
→ Remove stains from garage floors.
→ Make garage look functional and well organized.
→ Clean all windows/cobwebs in corners, etc.
→ Do not store extra boxes in garage (consider renting a storage unit).
→ Consider placing a deodorant bar in the garage to smell fresh.
Screened Porch
→ Make sure it's clean and swept.
→ All screen holes are repaired or screen replaced.
→ Cobwebs removed and cleaned.
→ Furniture is clean and orderly - not excessive.
→ If there is a ceiling fan, clean it.
→ Make sure door operates properly.
Deck
→ Clean and nail down any loose boards.
→ Consider staining with sealer stain.
→ All rails are to be secure.
→ Make sure all steps are tight.
Everyday
When you leave the house in the morning or during the day, leave it as if you know it is going to be shown.
Immediately before a showing
→ Light is a welcome sign, turn on all your lights for any inspection.
Ask Realtor to turn them off on the way out.
→ Ensure temperature is comfortable throughout house.
→ Make sure the house smells good and fresh.
→ Turn off the television.
Consider soft music or radio, but avoid anything which might disturb attention.
→ Keep pets out of the way, preferably out of the house.
Many people are uncomfortable around animals and may even be allergic to them or if they love them it will
divert their attention from the features of your house.
→ Open blinds, drapes and curtains.
→ Keep number of people present during inspections to a minimum, otherwise
visitors will feel like intruding and rush through the tour.
With less people around, prospective buyers can more easily imagine it as their house, without too many strangers.
If possible, leave your premises. Take a short break while your home is being shown.
Buyers are intimidated when sellers are present and tend to hurry through the house.
Let the buyer be at ease, and let the agents take care of the showing.
→ Do not allow your children to tag along on the visitor's tour.
→ Don't talk too much, it will distract from their inspection of your house.
→ Keep you discussion positive.
→ Do not apologize for appearance or other things, it only accentuates or distracts.
it is reasonable that a house being lived in will not look perfect.
→ Do not try to sell your furniture before the deal is completed. Leave it available and negotiable in the offer.
→ Do not turn on your house alarm when leaving as usual because the agent will
trigger it when entering the house. Unless you are willing to give a code to the agent of course.
→ If your home is listed with an agent, leave home for showings.
The buyer will spend more time looking if the seller is not there. Go to the
neighbors, walk around the block. If you are there the buyers will not talk freely and the
agent will not know their true thoughts. If by chance you do run into the buyer, do not
volunteer information about the home. Many times what you consider an advantage to you is
a disadvantage to the buyer.
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