Helpful Hints on Marketing and Selling Your Home
Tip #12: Head to the nursery
When your house is up for sale, it's time to retire all those half-dead plants (both in your yard and in your house) that you keep thinking will come back to life some day. They make a mess by dropping leaves, and to put simply, having no plant is better than having a dead one. A quick solution is a trip to the nursery for a few fresh new plants.
Tip #13: Buy potted flowers
Flowers always brighten the appearance of a home, and they add a pleasant scent. If y o u d o n o t w a n t t o b u y fresh-cut flowers or spend money on something you will l e a v e b e h i n d , a h e l p f u l alternative is to use clay or decorative pots as planters. After they have helped to sell your current home, you can use them to brighten up your new home as well.
Tip #14: Let there be light
Most people keep curtains, blinds, and drapes closed for privacy, but when your house is for sale, be sure to open them all. Your house will look larger and brighter. Make sure that your windows are crystal clear. If your screens are worn out and full of holes, replace them. If you can't replace tattered screens, take them out entirely to give that clean appearance. Don't forget to wipe down dusty windowsills. If you have a window that faces an eyesore, you won't want to keep the drapes or blinds open. In that case, you would keep them closed, but still maintain a neat appearance.
Tip #15: Brighten things up
Add a dramatic appearance to your house with new 100-watt light bulbs. A bright house looks larger, cleaner and more appealing to a potential buyer. This will create an open feeling, similar to the many new homes that are built today with lots of windows and skylights.
Tip #16: Create more space
Remember, you're not selling furniture; you're selling a house. Keeping this in mind, you may want to remove any large or ornate pieces of furniture. Unless your taste in furniture is the same as the potential buyer's, large pieces aren't going to help your house sell. Their absence, however, will make your house appear spacious and inviting.
Tip #17: Empty the closets
Take as many of your personal items as possible out of your closet and store them in an out-of-the-way place. When your closets are cleaned up, they will look much larger to the potential home buyer. Abundant closet/storage space is a major selling point for most people. Apply this rule to any storage area.
Tip #18: Don't leave a mess
Inspect your house on the way out the door every day to see if there are any messes you have not had time to clean up. Kick clothes under the bed or get a couple of large, plastic tubs for emergencies. In short, don't leave your home a mess if there's any possibility that a potential buyer may see it. Just be careful not to hide your mess where it may be easily discovered, such as in a closet or cupboard!
Tip #19: Organize the garage
Do you ever find that you're having trouble pulling your car into the garage because you have so much stored in there? Clean it up by storing everything you can at a helpful friend's home or a rented storage unit. This way, your garage area will appear larger, and when it comes time for you to move, you will be more organized.
Tip #20: Start packing
It will take some time to get all your knickknacks packed and ready to move. Why not do it now? Wrapping these little itemsi n newspaper and storing them will make your move easier, and it will help your house show better. Remember, less is more.
Tip #21: Have a garage sale
Have that garage sale you've been meaning to have, but never got around to. This is one of the quickest, easiest, and most cost-effective ways to clear out those items that make your living space look cluttered. C h e c k w i t h y o u r l o c a l newspaper to see if they offer a "Garage Sale Kit" including signs if you place a classified ad in this category.
Tip #22: Clean the pool
If you have a pool, it should look like you're ready to throw a pool party, even if it's the dead of winter. You want to be sure to remind the buyer of how much fun a pool really is. This means a clean, uncovered pool with all of the furniture out and looking its best.
Stay tuned for the 3rd and final part of the series
