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Seller Resources & Home Sale Tips
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10 Ways to Make Your House More Salable
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2009 Housing Forecast / Click
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7 Steps to Prepare for an Open House
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When Will It Turn Up / Click
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10 Ways to Make Your Home Irresistible at an Open House
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Current Interest Rates / Click
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20 Low-Cost Ways to Spruce Up Your Home
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10 Ways to Make Your House More Salable
1. Get rid of clutter. Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of
your small decorative items. Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier. Clean
out the garage.
2. Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.
3. Keep everything extra clean. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates. Mop and wax floor
Clean the stove and refrigerator. A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces
buyers that the home has been well cared for.
4. Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells.
Open the windows.
5. Put higher wattage bulbs in light sockets to make rooms seem brighter, especially
basements and other dark rooms. Replace any burnt-out bulbs.
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6. Make minor repairs that can create a bad impression. Small problems, such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet, may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well maintained.
7. Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks. Put a pot or two of bright flowers near the entryway.
8. Patch holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.
9. Clean your gutters.
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10. Polish your front doorknob and door numbers.
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Back To Top
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7 Steps to Prepare for an Open House
1. Hire a cleaning service. A spotlessly clean home is essential; dirt will turn off a prospect faster than anything.
2. Mow your lawn, and be sure toys and yard equipment are put away.
3. Serve cookies, coffee, and soft drinks. It creates a welcoming touch. But be sure the kitchen has been cleaned up; use disposable cups so the sink doesn’t fill up.
4. Lock up your valuables, jewelry, and money. Although the real estate salesperson will be on site during the open house, it’s impossible to watch everyone all the time.
5. Turn on all the lights. Even in the daytime, incandescent lights add sparkle.
6. Send your pets to a neighbor or take them outside. If that’s not possible, confine them to one room (a basement or bath), and let the salesperson know where to find them.
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7. Leave. It’s awkward for prospective buyers to look in your closets and express their opinions of your home with you there
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Back To Top
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10 Ways to Make Your Home Irresistible at an Open House
1. Put fresh or silk flowers in principal rooms for a touch of color.
2. Add a new shower curtain, fresh towels, and new guest soaps to every bath.
3. Set out potpourri or fresh baked goods for a homey smell.
4. Set the table with pretty dishes and candles.
5. Buy a fresh doormat with a clever saying.
6. Take one or two major pieces of furniture out of every room to create a sense of spaciousness.
7. Put away kitchen appliances and personal bathroom items to give the illusion of more counter space.
8. Lay a fire in the fireplace. Or put a basket of flowers there if it’s not in use.
9. Depersonalize the rooms by putting away family photos, mementos, and distinctive artwork.
10. Turn on the sprinklers for 30 minutes to make the lawn sparkle.
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20 Low-Cost Ways to Spruce Up Your Home
Make your home more appealing for potential buyers with these quick and easy tips.
1. Trim bushes so they don’t block windows and cut down on light.
2. Buy a new doormat.
3. Put a pot of bright flowers (or a small evergreen in winter) on your porch.
4. Put new doorknobs on your doors.
5. Put a fresh coating on your driveway.
6. Edge the grass around walks and trees.
7. Keep your garden tools out of site.
8. Be sure kids put away their toys.
9. Buy a new mailbox.
10. Upgrade the outside lighting.
11. Use warm, incandescent light bulbs for a homey feel.
12. Polish or replace your house numbers.
13. Clean your gutters.
14. Put out potpourri or burn scented candles.
15. Buy new pillows for the sofa.
16. Buy a flowering plant and put it in a window you pass by frequently.
17. Make a centerpiece for your table with fruit or artificial flowers.
18. Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that let in more light.
19. Buy new towels.
20. Put a seasonal wreath on your door.
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Back To Top
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Reprinted from REALTORŪ Magazine Online by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSŪ
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Senior Real Estate Specialist
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