Archive for March, 2011

Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars – #4 – Walls and Floors (Cost: Low; Return: High)

Remove/Repaint/Replace:  Remove wallpaper; Repaint walls; Replace carpet

Have wallpaper?  I’ll bet you loved it when you first selected it and put it up; you may still love it.  But what are the chances that a home buyer today, walking into your house, will have the exact same taste, especially several years later?  Take it down.

We want your buyers to be able to envision themselves in this house, with their tastes, their colors, and their furnishings.

Liked vivid colors on your walls?  Haven’t painted in years?  What?  Still have the old faded builders’ off-white somewhere?  A fresh coat of paint, neutrals, will really enhance the way your home shows.  A gallon of paint is worth $20 in the can and $1000 on your walls.  Bright, light homes sell faster and more often than dark and dreary homes.  They feel more spacious, which is important to today’s pool of home buyers.

Carpet.  I know.  It seems like a lot of trouble.  It would be easier to wait and let the buyers pick out what they want.  You think they can visualize new carpet?  Usually, they’re busy noticing all the wear and tear, and wondering how well the rest of the home was taken care of, and believe the carpet’s condition is an indication.  Don’t believe for a minute that having buyers note wear and tear is a good way to get your house noticed.

Let’s go for clean freshly painted walls and clean carpets, leaving the buyers’ full attention focused on the space in the home, the views, how they’d use the rooms, and where their furniture would fit best.

Did you miss the First Three Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars for Howard County Home Sellers?  #1 Decluttering | #2 Cleaning | #3 Curb Appeal

Best regards, Gretchen

• Did You Know?  A professional stager is an awesome investment at any point in this series.  Call me today at 443-676-1625 if you’d like to receive a free home staging consultation with a professional home stager. (Limited time offer.)

 

Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars – #3 – Curb Appeal (Cost: Low; Return: High)

Curb Appeal:  You knew it was coming, didn’t you?  Howard County Home Sellers should know that curb appeal matters.  I always let my buyers know that it’ll be very helpful to them to DRIVE BY the homes they see on their internet searches, past the home, through the neighborhood, and at different times during the day and/or week, to get a feel for the area.  So take my word for it, you will definitely have more buyers IN your house, contemplating buying it, if you get them OUT OF THE CAR and THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR!

TO the Front Door:

• Paint the front door, along with the door and nearby window trim.
• Replace the door hardware, house numbers, and weary porch lights.  Ensure your door opens and closes easily and that the locks work properly.  You don’t want the agent to have to struggle with the front door lock in order to get inside.
• Powerwash and/or sweep the front steps and sidewalk.
• Trim the bushes, mulch the flowerbeds, and add some flowers – and then keep them watered.
• Go out to the street, imagine where your potential buyers will park, and then follow their walk up to your front door.  Ensure it’s a pleasant one!

THROUGH the Front Door:

So you’ve walked up to your front door.  Now open it, walk in just a step or two and then stop and look around.  Try and see your home with new eyes.

• Is it welcoming?
• Is it sparkling clean?
• Is it uncluttered?
• Is it light?  Neutralized?  Freshly painted?
• Could a buyer imagine themselves and their furnishings in your house?

Need someone to look for you?  Give me a call.  It’s much easier to look with someone else in order to see what a buyer might see.  I’m happy to help!

Did you miss the First Two Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars for Howard County Home Sellers?  #1 Decluttering | #2 Cleaning

Best regards, Gretchen

• Did You Know?  A professional stager is an awesome investment at any point in this series.  Call me today at 443-676-1625 if you’d like to receive a FREE home staging consultation with a professional home stager. (Limited time offer.)

 

Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars – #2 – Cleaning (Cost: $0; Return: High)

What would Martha Stewart do? Clean and Organize!  Or as I like to tell my Howard County Home Sellers, “You need to Martha Stewartize this linen closet.”

Clean:

• Windows:  Wash inside and out.  Twice, if necessary.
• Bathrooms:  Re-caulk your tubs, showers and sink; bleach grout if stained; polish faucets and mirrors; fresh towels.
• Kitchen:  Clean out the refrigerator, oven, stove top, the dishwasher.
• House-wide:  Dust – cobwebs, ceiling fan blades, light fixtures; replace worn rugs.
• Daily upkeep:  Vacuum, sweep front steps, clean front door, storm door fingerprints, bathroom mirror splashes, and wipe down sinks and countertops.

Rearrange:

• If the contents of  your closets and cabinets are neat, clean, and well-organized, they’re sending a message that YOU are neat, clean, and well-organized – and that you take care of the REST of the house just as carefully.  Good message to send potential buyers!

Repair:  Minor repairs not handled again send a message to buyers, so:

• Check that all doors and drawers open and close easily and latch properly.
• Patch and repaint holes in the walls or doors.
• Fix leaky faucets and ensure drains close properly.
• Replace burned-out light bulbs – and replace them with the highest allowable wattage.

Buyers notice if something doesn’t work properly, and then they start to look for other issues in the house.  As I’ve pointed out in previous posts, choosing a house is a process of elimination.  A buyer could easily eliminate your home from their list of top choices if they think it hasn’t been well maintained.  After all, if minor issues weren’t addressed, it could easily be construed that larger, unknown issues exist as well.  Don’t let the fear of the unknown scratch your house from the top of their list!

Did you miss the First Best Use of Your Time and Dollars for Howard County Home Sellers?  #1 Decluttering

Best regards, Gretchen

• Did You Know?  A professional stager is an awesome investment at any point in this series.  Call me today at 443-676-1625 if you’d like to receive a FREE home staging consultation with a professional home stager. (Limited time offer.)