Preparing Your Home to Be Listed

A Beautiful Slab of Granite Tops Rich Maple Cabinetry with an Intricate Tile Backsplash set off by Under Cabinet Lighting

Today I read an article on the Rismedia Internet site, that I felt really nailed the items a seller should be thinking about when preparing to sell a home.  These are no longer the days of not preparing the house and expecting it to sell for top dollar. 

Staging and preparing the home for sale have become so important that I offer this service for free to all of my sellers from a local company, Balance and Harmony.  I even have a stock of staging items stored for vacant and new construction homes.  All of this has been quite an investment on my part, but I have continued to sell homes in a distressed market. 

• In this market, I have seen many buyers drive up to listing and not even go in, because the property had no CURB APPEAL.  The property could be beautiful on the inside, but putting your best foot forward starts with the exterior.  Work on keeping the lawn green, adding annuals, fresh mulch, power wash, brush away the cobwebs and replace worn or broken front door hardware and lighting.
• The KITCHEN is very important to the current home buyers.  Granite topped Maple or Cherry Cabinetry is at the top of their list.  Give the kitchen in your older home a facelift.  Replace outdated hardware or paint your cabinetry if you not afford to replace them.  One of the tips offered in the article was ”For a more contemporary look, consider a semi-gloss espresso brown. For a more traditional look, opt for a semi-gloss creamy white. Complete the makeover by adding new hardware. Considering professional help? Ask your local painter if they can spray a lacquer finish on your cabinets. This treatment is more expensive than painting the cabinets yourself but the result looks like a factory finish.”
• Bathrooms need to be super clean.  No one wants to see any sign of use in a bathroom.  Replace outdated plumbing and light fixtures.
• Bedrooms should look luxurious and be painted in a restful color.  Lacking Headboards?  The article notes a great, inexpensive way to make one, “Measure the width of your bed and determine the height you prefer. Purchase a ¼ inch piece of plywood fitting these dimensions (ask the store to cut if for you) and cover it with 2 inch foam that fits the dimensions you selected. Wrap the foam and plywood with batting that can be purchased from a craft store. Finally staple gun a fabric of your choice around the headboard you’ve created. You can then hang the headboard behind the bed on the wall as if you were hanging a piece of art using “D” rings and hooks or attach it to your bed frame using bolts and washers.”
• You are not selling your entertainment center in your GREAT ROOM, you are selling the room.  Center this room around an attractive fireplace or view.  Limit items on the mantle or tables to three.  For instance, add one picture to the mantle with two candle sticks.  Be sure to remove all personal items and personal pictures.

You need to be sure your house is in Tip Top shape prior to putting the sign in the yard.  Remember it only takes one buyer and you only get one chance.

This great information was taken from an article written by Kate Hart. 

Kate Hart is a pioneer in the staging field, having helped hundreds of families and realtors prepare homes for sale through her Philadelphia-area company, Hart & Associates Staging & Design.

For more information, visit http://www.hartstaging.com/.