#1 in a Multi-Part Series…
There are 3 pieces to the puzzle of consistently getting a home sold. Although our team works in the Greater Albuquerque / Rio Rancho NM Metro Area, I don’t believe that things are significantly different in any other market…
The first step is to Prepare the Home for Sale:
Almost every home I visit needs some kind of attention. Sellers need to take a look at their home with fresh eyes, as if they were a potential buyer making a ten minute visit to the home during a day of visits to a dozen similar homes with their Realtor. Look for the following items:
- Examine the paint in every room: Are there scuffs on the walls from pets or children doing what they do? Are there areas where the paint is thin? Are there some dings at the corners which need patching and paint? Are there dents in the walls from a door knob where the doorstop fell off last year? Did someone touchup a wall with semi-gloss paint where the rest of the wall was flat? Are there splotches of colored wall paint on the white ceiling where the paint roller strayed too close? How carefully was the cut-in work done near the ceiling or at a corner where there’s a change of color? Do the baseboards need a fresh coat of paint to cover dings from vacuuming? What’s the condition of the trim paint around all exterior doors, especially the garage door?
- Is there a clean bead of caulk around every sink, bathtub and shower pan in the house? What’s the condition of the counter grout or tub surround grout?
- Has the backing on a bathroom mirror started to break down near the bottom edge?
- Does the carpet look clean and new throughout, or has it seen better days?
- Are the kitchen and bath cabinets dry and pasty-looking, or have they been recently cleaned and oiled to rejuvenate them?
- How does the house smell when you first walk in? Has the family pet been marking territory in a corner of the living room?
- If there is vinyl flooring in the kitchen and baths, are there cuts, stains, or dull areas in the flooring? If you have tile, what’s the condition of the grout?
- Is the yard neat and trimmed? Is it landscaped at all?
Next: What to do when you’ve answered the above questions …