No Pain, No Gain!
Most buyers are attracted to ‘move in ready’ homes, it’s like fly to fly paper. After all, the move is already overwhelming, not to mention adding; painting, repairs and/or cleaning to the list. You can do several things to prepare your home for market. Most of it takes some elbow grease and time. Trust me it will be worth the effort! If you do these things, you will position yourself better in the market place. This is KEY!! After all, isn’t having that competitive edge in your marketplace, what every seller wants!
A Dirty House
I cannot say enough about this one point. If there is only one thing you do to get ready for your listing date, is to get cleaning! Most of us would say ‘my house IS clean’, and while that may be true, I am confident when I say that likely, there are many areas that you have not considered, that are over and above your regular day to day cleaning.
Because we are conditioned to the smells in our home we don’t notice how our house smells, but when you enter a strange home, it will likely be noticed if something is smelling stale, musty, or off putting like pet/cooking odours.
Cleaning removes odours and appears as though your property has been well maintained. This means the whole house, including textiles. I am going to share with you some things to do outside of the everyday cleaning tasks.
- vacuum your furniture (especially if you have pets)
- vacuum your drapery (especially the tops and bottom near the hem)
- dust, vacuum & wash under furniture and appliances in your kitchen
- look up for cob-webs, it’s surprising how many you might find
- dust and wash your door frames and baseboards (especially the top of a door frame, you will be surprised how much dust is sitting up there)
- wash the inside of kitchen cabinetry (especially where there is garbage and recycle centres)
- wash the inside of all of your appliances
- clean and edit the inside your cupboards (especially under your sink, this is a common cupboard buyers will look at)
- dust your ceiling fans
- wash all of your windows – inside and out, this will allow a lot more light to come in
- clean interiors of closets – these ares get very dirty and are often scuffed up and tired looking
- clean carpets – they harbour a lot of odour
- clean pet beds
- wash all linens – shower curtains, drapery, bedding, towels
- clean your light fixtures of bugs and dust – this will actually help brighten things up when your fixture is clean
Clutter
Clutter can appear overwhelming for many people and can translate as visual noise. It becomes distracting and can be dangerous for children, elderly or anyone who may have physical challenges, if they have to navigate through obstacles in their way.
Clutter can also appear as though the homeowner is lazy and inattentive to the smaller details of regular maintenance, which would then beg the question, are they taking care of the bigger things. The last thing you want is for your buyer to be weary that the house is not being cared for. Especially when they are looking at the potential future investments they may have to make as a result.
Improper use of space
Often times, rooms in our home are not clearly defined, which can cause confusion for a buyer. When this happens, it creates a guessing game for your buyer, such as; is this the dining room or is it supposed to be the living room – are these rooms reversed? Or, when a room in your home is acting as a dual purpose zone, such as a dining room doubling as a home office. It screams ‘we don’t have enough room in our home for our needs’, hence why we might be selling.
It’s important to note, that 90% of buyers cannot visualize past what they see and only remember it the way it was, not what it can be. Ensuring that each room in your house is clearly defined shows your buyer all of the benefits the house has, by not highlighting its challenges.
Flex Spaces
These areas can be a real challenge for any homeowner. They often end up in the above category ‘improper use of space’, but I wanted to highlight this subject because it’s sometimes a unique room in a home that we often don’t know how to use effectively.
- It can be a large landing at the top of the stairs with tons of room, that often can become a drop zone.
- It can be an odd room in a finished basement that doesn’t have a window, or closet
- It can be a Niche area in a hallway between bedrooms
- it can be a small room/area at an entrance that doesn’t seem to have any real purpose due to its size, which can appear as dysfunctional
Get creative and create a functional space that makes sense, ideally make this space have a function that is unique to all the other rooms. For example; home office, craft studio, library, yoga retreat.
Pets that ‘rule’ the roost
Oh, our beloved fur babies! I have four cats, so I’m definitely a crazy cat lady who ardours her furry friends. But, I know that when it comes time to sell, that I will need to make a few concessions along the way.
To prepare your home for photos and viewings, I recommend the following;
- remove pet beds all together, or at the very least wash them and tuck them out of sight
- ensure that there are no pet toys, or bones lying around, both inside and out
- litter box odours can be offensive when not maintained. I know that we can never predict when a cat needs to use the litter, but when you are proactive and ensure that prior to a viewing or open house, you clean the litter and box itself thoroughly is a game changer. I use an Eco friendly pine pellet in my litter box, and I have to tell you that it has been a game changer in terms of odour.
- replace any scratch posts that look unsightly, or give them a haircut – trust me this is a thing, I’ve done it and it’ looks almost new again.
Purge your children’s toys
This is a great time to donate/sell toys that your children no longer use or have outgrown. Keep their favourites and pack the rest. Explain to them that it will be fun to unpack those toys, in the new house and rediscover them. I know, easier said than done. But, it will go a long way in the end. I would also keep toy areas to one room in the house. Toys create visual clutter in your photos. Better still…tuck them neatly away in a toy cupboard, trunk or closet, or in storage bins, so that they are neatly stored.
Unruly Gardens and Yards
Gardens (although beautiful) can sometimes be perceived as maintenance, especially if your buyer doesn’t have a green thumb. When they are well maintained, they will notice the beauty, and overlook the maintenance initially.
Common issues are;
- overgrown weeds
- broken garden gates or fencing
- chipped or worn stain/paint
- unsafe path-ways, decks, staircases, railings
- unravelled garden hoses, tools laying about
- sheds that are damaged or falling apart, and even filled to capacity
- poor lawn conditions
- left over seasonal items not aligning with the current season i.e., Christmas lights in spring or summer months
Dirty Appliances
This one does belong in the ‘cleaning’ section above, but I wanted to highlight it once again to hit it home. No one wants to tackle cleaning the grime from the previous owners fridge, oven or any appliance for that matter, when they move in. In fact no one, wants to clean the fridge or oven ever! So, make that a bonus! People do look into your oven and fridge for its size and condition, when they are included in the listing. Hire a professional if you do not want to do the job, but get this done!
Cramped Cupboards/Closets
I see this all of the time and it is such a shame. When I go through people’s homes providing feedback and I open a closet or cupboard and I see it stuffed to the gills with stuff, all I can think of is; how do they function! It’s a turn off for sure. It also looks like perhaps they cleaned and DE-cluttered but put everything into the closet! I hate to put it boldly, but it says ‘lazy’ and lack of storage. Storage is a premium for most buyers, especially if they have children.
- add systems such as baskets or bind to make it appear more organized
- add lighting to brighten it up
- paint the interior to freshen it up
- purge this area and pack up seasonal items
Dirty Fireplaces
For such a simple task, this should always be on your checklist. Make sure that it is free of ashes and clean the glass. Again, it is the ‘well maintained‘ aspect we are going for. During the colder seasons, it is fine to have your fireplace lit for ambience and to showcase that is in good working order, but it should still be cleaned prior to your viewings. Do this on the regular to keep things maintained and for ease of doing the chore.
Entrance Disaster Areas
Okay, so this is a very important area!! This is your WOW factor opportunity. It is your buyers first impression zone and their last impression zone. You have approximately 7 – 10 seconds to impress your buyer. Everything they can see from the vantage point of your entrance needs to be addressed and looking it’s best.
- close open doors that are visible from here
- ensure you have good lighting and bulbs are working
- have something attractive to look at – art or greenery for example
- place a new welcome mat outside and a new entry mat inside
- make sure door knobs and closet doors are in good working order
In the dark
Lighting is essential in all listings. Review the following details about your lighting.
- it is important that all of your bulbs are the maximum wattage allowance for the fixture
- ensure that all bulbs throughout your house are in good working order with no burnt bulbs
- remember that task areas need to have ample lighting
- keep window treatments open during photos, open houses and private viewing to bring in more light
- be sure that all bulbs are the same colour temperature
Yuck Stuff
Okay so believe it or not, I have seen many listings online, where there are many details that while they may seem obvious to most people to do, that are not done.
- piles of dirty dishes in the sink
- garbage cans are full of garbage
- laundry baskets are overflowing or dirty laundry on the floor
- unmade beds with smelly dirty linen
- old towels that are stained, and in bad repair
All of these things, represent dirt plain and simple and harbour nasty odours. This is one of the simplest and most expected of items that should be crossed off your to do list!
Steamy or Cluttered bathrooms
Nobody wants to walk into a stranger’s bathroom and feel the humidity after they showered, or perhaps step in a puddle or wet bath mat, upon entering the bathroom. A general rule is, don’t shower before a viewing.
Also, I always advise my sellers to;
- have a container to house all of your toiletries and tuck it someplace neatly out of sight
- remove towels or bath robes from behind the door
- clean waste baskets
- remove plungers and scrubbers from around the toilet
- edit your cabinetry and add storage systems to appear as though you have adequate storage
- wash your walls, trust me that when you take a closer look you will see lint and water drips down the walls
Cooking Odours
The smell of food can be offensive to some people. Agents have told me that there have been times where a buyer will walk straight out, and not give your house a second chance if they are turned off by the smell of your food. Try to prepare foods with little to no odour prior to an open house or viewing. Remember, scenting a room to mask odours from food smells will only make matters worse.
There are so many odour aversions today, that we have to really be mindful of this when you have people coming into your house.
Broken Glass or Ripped Screens
A house well maintained, is an investment to your buyers peace of mind. Don’t overlook getting these repairs done. You buyer can perceive broken glass as a possible break and enter. They want to feel safe in your neighbourhood, so be sure to repair these important items and remove any wrong perceptions. It’s also an important general home maintenance item that I pointed out above.
Dirty Eaves-trough
Okay, so if you have weeds growing out of your eaves-trough, or a very happy squirrel camping out in there, or you have an abundance of leaves left over from last fall, get to work and clean them out! I have literally seen this! Nothing says poor maintenance like weeds growing from your eaves-trough.
Final Thoughts
I could seriously go on and on. The list making, as you can well imagine can be endless… But these particular points are pretty important on the priority list AND they are mainly things that can be done with little to no major cost to you. It is taking serious look at ‘The Business of Selling your House’ and getting it done right the first time!
I would love to know what you think about your experiences while touring an open house, or what you have encountered. What are some of the toughest things to you find need to get done on your list?
For professional advice on how to prepare your home for sale message me right here through our contact form.
As always, helping you in caring for your Total Home!
Cindy Lutes
Professional Property Stylist
