How to prepare your home for a sale, get top dollar and not break the bank doing it.

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:preparehomesaletopdollarbreakbank
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How to prepare your home for a sale, get top dollar and not break the bank doing it.

Introduction

First impressions are everything when selling a home. Your home should be at its best and sparkle when you are ready to sell. This step by step guide will get you on your way to getting top dollar for your home, without spending too much.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You'll Need

  • Scrub brush Water hose Exterior paint

Steps

1

Step One

Make sure the outside of the house looks good. Does the roof have mold on it. If so, get up on the roof with a water hose and a scrub brush and clean it. You can rent a pressure washer which will expedite things, but if you are on a budget and have time then a water hose and scrub brush on a pole will do just fine.
2

Step Two

Take the hose and give the exterior of the house a good hose down. Again, a pressure washer works best but if you want to cut costs a water hose with a spray nozzel will work just fine.
3

Step Three

The least expensive improvement you can make to your home is painting it. You can get a big bang out of your investment buck by simply painting the exterior of the house.
4

Step Four

First impressions are everything when selling your home. Are the front facing windows of the home outdated? If so, replace them. You don't need to replace all the windows just those facing the street or face of the home, this is what the prospect buyer sees when viewing the MLS listing online, so put your home's best face forward.
5

Step Five

Proper landscaping can really accentuate a home. Flowers and beauty bark are inexpensive ways to spruce up the front yard. Now is the time to put in that flower bed or add shrubs to the front of the house.
6

Step Six

Everything is in the details. Attention to detail communicates to the prospect buyer that the home is well cared for and makes them feel that the home is likely to have few problems. Invest in a nice mailbox ($20), a nice address sign for the house ($25), and perhaps some shutters (only applied to the face of the house, to give the home a warm look.
7

Step Seven

The door to the home, since ita??s the first thing a prospect will touch when viewing the house should appear solid and clean. If you need to replace the door with something more updated, do it, you will not be sorry.
8

Step Eight

Neutral colors and offwhite color schemes sell. If you have blue walls or pink accent walls, paint them. Wall colors should be off white. It makes the space look larger and there is nothing like a fresh coat of white paint to really spruce the inside of a house.
9

Step Nine

This should go without saying, but the carpets should be clean. Rent if shampooer if you need to ($25 at the grocery store). If the carpets are really bad and stained, replace them. If you have room in your budget, think about pergo / laminate flooring which runs about the same price as quality carpeting but adds more value to a home.
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Step Ten

Window coverings. Window coverings should be simple, plain off white or blinds are fine.
11

Step Eleven

Remove clutter from the house. If needed, store it in the garage or rent a storage area. If ita??s the budget, you may want to consider staging your home to add appeal.
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Step Twelve

Lysol the home. Make sure it does not have any funky odors. I'm surprised how many homes I view the just have a nasty smell.

Overall Tips & Warnings

  • If you are planning on doing a remodel before selling your home, focus on updating the kitchen and bath. Every $ you place into these areas you can expect to get two times the return.
  • do not overdo your upgrade, you want to make sure that your house fits in style and price range when compared to houses in the area.
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