Although developing your custom plan of action is something I will help you with, you can get started with this process as soon as you like. Here is a list of things to check in your home to make sure it is ready for market.
- Do the carpets need to be professionally cleaned?
- Are all lighting fixtures and switches working properly? All burned out light bulbs need to be replaced.
- Repair and repaint cracks on all walls and ceilings.
- Clean all switchplates and the wall areas around them. Same for doors and doorframes.
- Pack up all valuable items to protect them. If necessary, put items in a safe or offsite.
- Spruce up all houseplants. Any that are scraggly or are barely hanging on should be replaced with fresh plants.
- Touch up paint or repaint rooms as needed. Pay special attention to the baseboards, trim, and moulding.
- Fireplaces need to be cleaned out and staged with a few fresh logs. Fireplace glass doors should be cleaned.
- Reduce the number of books on bookshelves and organize the spines by color or author/publisher to set grouped uniformity. This goes for kids’ bookshelves also.
- Be sensitive to odors. If there is a challenge with odors in your home determine the source of the odor and remove it if possible. That might be solved with carpet cleaning or painting, but you might need to take it to another level if the odor persists. You can use room deodorants or disinfectant sprays (but beware that some buyers are sensitive to these so don’t overuse) and keep windows cracked open for ventilation even in very hot or cold weather. There are great products in pet stores for pet odors, and many professional carpet cleaners have special ozone machines that can really help with difficult odors.
- Wash all windows and make sure they operate freely. If the seal is broken on a double-pane window, replace it now.
- Make sure all faucets are in good repair and do not drip.
- Wipe down all cabinets inside and out. Clear out clutter from the cabinets. Buyers are going to look in, so make sure everything inside is nice, organized, and is clean.
- Repair items that are broken. This will show that your home is well-taken-care-of. In most cases, buyers will ask for them to be repaired anyway, so do it now.
- Don’t be afraid to move furniture from room to room to find the best home for it. If it doesn’t look like it fits, store it elsewhere.
- Trim up all landscaping and replace bark or mulch to freshen up the outdoors.
- Sometimes the front door needs a fresh coat of paint to really make the house have that “wow!” factor
