A Checklist To Help You Sell Your Home

If you're planning on putting your house on the market, you'll want your property to look its best. Good housekeeping, repair and spaciousness bring top dollars and fast sales. Use this checklist as your guide to help in preparing your home to sell. This list is extensive so if you're looking for something in particular, scroll down to that particular item.

On The Outside

PAINT. Few things you do will enhance the stability of your house quite as much as painting the outside. Before painting, scrape or pressure wash any blistered or peeling paint, repair gutters and down spouts, and replace wood showing dry rot. Remember to pay special attention to wood, trim gutters, and wrought iron.

FRONT ENTRY. First impressions make a big difference! Give special care to this area because the front entry is where buyers get their first opportunity to make a close inspection. All woodwork should be freshly and neatly painted, including the door if necessary. Replace a badly worn or broken doorbell button. Polish any door brass. Paint or replace an unsightly mailbox. Put out a new or clean doormat.

YARD. Mow and trim the lawn. Water regularly during the growing season. Weed flower beds, and remove or replace dead plants or trees. With desert landscaping, make sure that no underlying plastic is exposed, that rocks and sand are tidy, and that weeds and unwanted grass are removed.

DRIVEWAY, GARAGE, & CARPORT. Clean up grease or oil spots and remove the soil at least, if not the stains. See that the garage door opens freely, and if you have an automatic door opener, make sure that it is in good working order.

AIR CONDITIONERS. Paint or replace and rusted exposed metal. Correct improper draining.

PATIO. A nice spread of outdoor furniture looks very appealing. If necessary, borrow some from a friend to enhance the appearance of your property.

SWIMMING POOL. Keep the area around the pool clean and secure. Adjust the chemicals until the pool sparkles. Hose dust and cobwebs from filtration equipment. Store chemicals and tools neatly.

On The Inside

WINDOWS. Repair or replace torn or bent screens. As a last resort, remove them entirely. It's better to have no screens than to have unsightly ones. Replace any cracked or broken panes. Also, notice any unsightly foliage near windows. A window framed in ivy can give a warm, homey feeling, but cut it back if the foliage is restricting the light coming into the rooms. Drapery rods should be affixed firmly to walls and work smoothly, and draperies should be clean, and hang properly.

DOORS. Check to make sure that all doors open and close freely, including closet doors and patio or sliding glass doors. Tighten the hardware, particularly doorknobs. Oil and the squeaky doors. And while your're at it, tighten the hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets.

WALLS. Like the exterior, painting indoors will help the interior of your home. Wallpaper should be clean and adhere smoothly to the walls.

FLOORS. Repairing loose carpeting on a stairway or a loose stair tread plate is a top priority. Replace or repair missing or damaged pieces of tile, and polish if needed.

CARPET. Steam cleaning is the best answer for soiled carpets, especially when shampooing isn't enough. If pet odors are present, clean the carpet some time before your home is placed on the market to be sure that all the odors have been eliminated.

Check The Mechanicals

LIGHTS. Every light socket in and around the house should have a good bulb with adequate wattage. Don't overlook the lights outside or in the garage. Also remember the utility room, halls closets, over the sink in the kitchen, and in the oven exhaust hood.

SWITCHES & FIXTURES. Repair or replace wall switches, outlets, and light fixtures that don't work. Replace any broken switch plates. You may need to call a professional electrician.

APPLIANCES. Those that will be sold with the home should be in good working condition. If specific equipment doesn't work and you don't intend to repair it, point it out.

PLUMBING. Leaky or excessively noisy toilets should be fixed, as well as any dripping faucets. Badly chipped or stained sinks and tubs should be re-enameled, patched or replaced.

SPRINKLER SYSTEMS. Make sure the system works properly with no defective heads.

The Spacious Look

One of the best and least expensive ways to improve the look of your home is to open up as much space as possible. Openness stimulates positive feelings in buyers. Overstuffed rooms and closets give the impression of being smaller than they really are. Remember, you can't change the size of what you have, but you can try to present it in the pleasing way.

CLOSETS & STORAGE AREAS. Open up your storage areas by getting rid of items you aren't using. One of the most frequently voiced requirements of buyers is for more closet and storage space.

CABINETS & COUNTERS. The same principle used for closets applies here: overcrowding gives the impression of inadequate space. This applies to bathrooms and kitchens with the kitchen being the most important. It also helps to store counter top appliances that aren't frequently used.

GARAGE. Buyers will pay a premium price for a garage if they can visualize it being of value to them, but it's hard to sell a garage when it's filled and overflowing. Try to move excess items to a storage facility if possible.

Housekeeping Hints

BATHROOMS. Few places in the home can get so dirty so fast, and yet few things will “unsell” a house as fast as dirty bathrooms. Vanity, sink, faucet hardware, and mirrors are big focal points. But don't forget other potential problems: such as soap residue in a shower, a moldy shower curtain, accumulated dirt in the tract of a sliding shower door, soiled or missing grout, dirty toilet bowls, and batter mats.

KITCHENS. Most buyers will inspect the kitchen carefully, so extra time invested here is well spent. Clean the stove inside and out. Replace badly stained or corroded reflector plates under the hearting elements on electric ranges tops. Remember, don't neglect the kitchen exhaust hood; buyers frequently check this area as a clue to general housekeeping.

WINDOWS. Clean windows are an absolute necessity. If a house is to look its best. Weather permitting, open windows to let in fresh air.

WATER HEATER & SOFTENER. Perhaps because it's so unusual, a sparkling clean water heater or softener really impresses buyers-and it takes so little time and effort.

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