Tips for getting house ready to sell
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive April 2008:
Tips for getting house ready to sell
We are going to try and list our house for sale hopefully next week. As I'm starting to get the obvious things ready for a storage unit, I'm getting to closets and wondering how much you clean them out? There are lots of things in our closets that aren't used/needed, so that's not really an issue. I was going to empty them somewhat to make them look more open, but *should* I really try to totally empty those that I can? TIA
If they are the only storage you have in the house, I guess I would empty them out as much as possible! That would give the impression of "more" space. But, if you have additional storage someplace else, attic, basement, etc., then I wouldn't empty them, but I'd get rid of the messy and unnecessary and make them look good!
You don't need to empty them. You just don't want them to look too cluttered, so that people don't realized their size. Also, make them as organized as possible. Nobody expects empty closets in a lived in house.
The main thing I can say, as far as getting your house ready, is to clear out all clutter, and do a good cleaning of everything including windows, ovens, etc. You really want people to notice the house, not your furniture, decorations, etc.
Good luck with getting things ready. Did I miss something, I didn't know you were moving???
Declutter....kitchen counter space, closets, etc.
Have a good low price that's reasonable to begin with.
Hire a maid service once every 2 weeks so when you have someone who wants to "see the place right now", you can just pick up toys, vacuum and go. That way you don't have to worry about clean bathrooms, baseboards, etc. It's worth the $100 investment.
Get your garden out and ready...good soil, dark mulch, and clean the entry way door area.
Have an honest friend who can give you some pointers.
**Expect it to be on the market for at least 3 months so you aren't disappointed.**
I would also have a real estate agent show other houses to you that are in and around your neighborhood. Take a good look at the competition.
Also...when we saw houses, it was nice to read a personal letter in the kitchen letting people know why you're selling the house, some local perks you grown to love (within walking distance to certain places, neighbors you love, trails, etc.) It not only adds a nice touch, but it made me feel really "welcomed" and really, really, really made the house stand out from the rest.
One house even had nice cute little water bottles out in a tin bucket with some mints on the side. I *totally* remembered that house and asked to go back. They also had a typed letter letting us know about the community. That *really* helped!! It showed us they cared about their house and community, which is the kind of neighborhood you want to live in.
JMHO
The one thing that sticks out in my mind that hasn't been mentioned yet is family photos. Make sure most (if not all) of them are put away. It makes your home seem to much of yours and harder for people to see it as theirs.
Most definitely, price your house correctly. If you are using an agent, they should have pulled the comps for the neighborhood and can show you what the Fair Market Value is.
Not to disagree with Heidi, I might not say why you are moving. What if you are moving cause you have outgrown the house? You don't want the buyer to think 'well, maybe it's too small for us?' I think info about the community and neighborhood is great.
Like everyone else has said...get rid of clutter. Don't forget the garage. Change all your lightbulbs to 100 watt bulbs. Clean the tops of ceiling fans, and refridgerator. Take off all the 'stuff' on your refridgerator. Remove other personal items. You want the buyer to be able to picture themselves in the home.
Have a friend do a 'smell' test if you have animals to make sure your house doesn't smell like pets.
Thanks ladies! I knew all of your wonderful tips, but wondered about the extent to do the closets. I'm emptying quite a bit and making sure the rest is organized.
Heidi, I hadn't heard the 'welcoming' ideas you mentioned, so I'll remember that! I don't think I'll have trouble keeping it clean - I'm pretty particular about that anyway, but it's good to put in the back of my mind for the maid service.
Thanks! We have a wonderful realtor.
We have our house on the market and I am sick of it. But we rented a storage unit and put everything that was not necessary in storage. I am tired of it and it is inconvienent sometimes, but it makes cleaning a lot easier and quicker. Some realtors are good about making an appointment the day before or at least several hours ahead of time, but some call like 10 minutes away or an hour before. It is annoying. we have told a few who have done this to make another appointment for tomorrow or later in the week. I am so tired of cleaning the house all the time (like more than usual). Things that you only do a few times a week get done everyday or more. The kids help some (they are 7 and under), but then again they are the source of most of the mess. We took all pictures off the wall, put most toys in storage. Large garage items and anything that we can get by with not using on a daily basis.
Of course I have used my share of candles lately. Trying to make things smell good.
Juli, I know it's frustrating when they call on short notice, but that might very well be the agent with YOUR buyer. The majority of the time, the realtor won't call back to reschedule.
One thing to keep in mind. People stand at your front door anywhere from 5-10 minutes while they are waiting to get in. Make the entrance spotless. Clean the door, refinish if necessary, clean the porch, put out a welcoming plant...IF it doesn't block the entrance. Think about people walking through your house in couples, side by side, you don't want tight spaces.
I also really like the look of fresh flowers. If your rooms are not traditionally used, try to fix that. For example, we always used our study for a playroom when the kids were little. So I packed up the toys and took a laundry basket and put in the few best, the kids still could play in there, then when we had a show, I tossed them in the basket and took it in the van. But the room was empty when shown, because we didn't really have a computer. I was told that using a room differently also signaled, oh maybe this isn't big enough for ...
I will say a laundry basket was my biggest fan when the kids were little. If I got a last minute call I could walk through the house, pop it in the basket and leave with it in tow.
Also, unless you use garage stuff often, go ahead and box it up. You are moving, people will understand boxes in the garage and not really think so much about the space. Plus it just makes that room a lot cleaner.
Oh and one last thing, with the light bulb change, make sure you clean your diffusers (the covers), it makes the light brighter and open all the shades. Natural light makes a home inviting. Just make sure you keep your air on, if heat could be a problem. Open windows in texas equals very hot rooms!
Thanks everyone. I have beautiful flowers at our entrance and it's very cute out there. We have completely cleaned out our garage ( a huge chore in itself) and stored all of the unnecessary things. Our closets are quite emptied and what is left is very organized. The only closet that is still very full is one of the two in Natalie's room, but honestly, the biggest part of her toys are in there and that's just that. There are only so many toys I can store.
We are still finishing up with the storage part of things. I have air fresheners in every room so it's starting to smell extra nice in here. This weekend will be the start of minor repairs and any paint touch-ups. Then I can start getting cleaned up (I've been gradually working on that, so it shouldn't be too bad) and hopefully we can list by the end of next week.
At this point I'm overwhelmed by the majority of stuff we have put in storage already, and next to none of it is furniture! We definitely haven't overdone it with furniture, so that isn't an issue. We have a very spacious ranch home with large rooms all the way around. Our yard is absolutely beautiful and one of the biggest selling points for us when we bought it. We have next to total privacy, way out in the country, woods, a creek, close to an acre, a very large beautiful deck, and landscaped all the way around the house. I'm curious to see if our realtor thinks we should include a carpet allowance. I'm going to see what she thinks before we have the carpets cleaned. We have a nearly $4000 crawl space repair to have done next week - nothing anyone would ever know but it won't pass inspection as is so we have to fix that.
I'm so glad we're selling in spring time because it's just extra beautiful at this time of year on our land. So many flowers and our beautiful...that will be a biggie to get them through the door. By this time next week, we should have an appointment with our realtor scheduled and be ready to go. I started feeling sad sitting on the deck this evening already. We've been here almost 9 years.  So many memories.
Why are you moving?
DH got a new job! I posted separately to share our good news.
I know, it doesn't sound like we want to move. We love our land and our home, but we've been waiting for the right opportunity to come along for DH and it's here.
Reds- we are also putting our house on the market soon and are looking at storage places. Did you use a POD or go with a storage unit? De cluttering with kids is so hard! We're debating on whether to get a storage unit or stores things in the attic/crawl space etc.
well durn it i could of bought it if we hadn't just bought a house lol...how many beds and baths is it?
We went with a storage unit and stored bigger plastic toys in the back of our large shed. We didn't put anything in our attic, although we considered it. It's so full of holiday stuff and my teaching stuff (a move ni itself!) Mostly I took out Nat's big toys and still could probably store some more, but they are condensed to one closet so I think that will be fine.
Brandy- It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath.
yep would of been perfect lol = ) we actually got a 5 bedroom 2 bath though so it's okay lol = ) we are using the other two bedrooms as the computer room and maybe someday a theatre room = )
Kaye- I've just been re-reading all of the posts and I love your idea about the laundry basket. I will definitely keep that in mind!!
All of the pictures hanging and around in our house are actual framed photos. I'm nuts for those. There are not many paintings, etc., so now that it is all down, it is WEIRD. Feels like we are already moving actually. We're finishing up with the storage unit today, then I can start cleaning and we can work on minor repairs that need to be done.
Natalie is already freaking out. She's emotional (like her parents) and she's already crying because she "really likes THIS house" and she doesn't want to get a new phone number. When she realizes that she's leaving gymnastics, and her school, and a few other things, it will be major damage control for us!
Your tips are helpful - thank you a lot!
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