How Does Your House Look?

How Does Your house Look?

So, you’re selling your home. The words are simpler than the act itself, but with a little planning, you can save yourself a lot of time and the heartache of watching potential buyer after potential buyer offer you much less than you’re willing to take. Perhaps all you really need to do is make the house more presentable to these prospective buyers.

First impressions stick – a truism for people and homes as well. If a buyer walks through your front door and is greeted by a dirty kitchen or a pile of junk you’ve been meaning to put outside, they can be soured to your home before ever walking through it. It’s important to present your home in such a way that the buyer sees the potential – not the mess.

While we live in our homes, we accumulate a lot of stuff – mostly things that we really don’t need, but hold onto for sentimental value or out of fear that we’ll need that item the day after we dispose of it. If you’re looking to sell your home, you’re looking to move which means reducing the amount of clutter you have accumulated over the years. While you’re at it, this would be a great time for that Spring Cleaning you’ve been putting off for the past few Springs. Here’s a list of things to think about when preparing your home for sale.

How does your yard look?

Is the lawn mowed?

Are the hedges trimmed?

Is the driveway in good repair?

Has yard clutter been put away neatly or disposed of?

How does the exterior of the house look?

Is the home in need of painting?

Is the siding clean?

Are the windows clean?

Are the shutters all in place?

Is the roof debris-free?

How does the kitchen look?

Is the stove spotless and sparkling?

Are the walls near the trash clean?

Are the counters and sink spotless?

Is the inside and outside of the refrigerator clean?

Has the floor been mopped and waxed?

How does the bathroom look?

Is the toilet as clean as possible?

Is the grout in the tub/shower area clean?

Are there any hard water stains in the tub, sink or toilet?

Are the floor edges near the walls perfectly clean?

Does the ceiling exhaust fan work silently?

How does the rest of the house look?

Are the bedrooms neat and clean?

Are all the carpets in the home clean and not threadbare?

Are the walls and ceilings stain-free?

Is your basement as clean as it can be?

Is all your clutter out of sight or disposed of?

Is your fireplace free of ash?

Does your garage or other storage area appear neat and tidy?

These and more are things you should seriously consider when selling your home. A buyer can be put off just by seeing a messy yard and dirty windows – or at least offer you less than you want for your home. Try looking at your house through a buyer’s eyes instead of as your comfortable home of many years. Invite a friend to do the same then point out the shortcomings to you. These tips may not sell your home for you, but they’ll help you get in the ballpark.

Jim Miller is a full time full service licensed Realtor® in the Southern New Hampshire area with Bean Group and has over 20 of experience in buying and selling New Hampshire Real Estate .