I’ve clearly fallen behind in writing my blog, a fact that I’m sure my readers have noticed (Hi Mom!). This has been a summer full of changes and excitement, not to mention stress and acid reducers. Most of you guys know that I just finished school this spring and accepted a job in Georgia. I’m excited to be going back to the South, although I did enjoy spreading a little “southern comfort” around the Midwest for the last four years. This endeavor has meant trying to “finish” our Missouri fixer-upper (in as much as such projects are ever really complete). It has also meant putting that same house up for sale on a rather dismal housing market, packing our things, and moving some 12+ hours away. In the mean time and because I have vowed to use this blog to share information and insight rather than to blather on about my own feelings (27 is too young to write one’s memoirs), I thought I would share the valuable list of “must do’s” that my realtor ran me through to prepare our house for the market.
1. Keep everything clean. This one is something of a given, but that’s because it’s actually the most important thing you can do. Pick up your underwear, clean AND put away your dishes, dust and polish ‘til it hurts. In my realtor’s words…”it should look like a catalog.”
2. In keeping with the “catalog” theme, the next advice I received was to declutter. This one was a hard pill for me to swallow because one realtor’s clutter may be another person’s prized antique glass collection. Pride swallowed and chased with a shot, I decided not to take any of this personally. Taking down a few decorations (even ones you love) makes your house look bigger. Bigger is good.
3. Shed some light on the subject….One of the more surprising pieces of advice I got was to replace all of the compact fluorescent bulbs (CFB’s) in my house with the old-school incandescent types. These, it turns out, are actually brighter than the more eco-friendly CFB’s , and good lighting is a big selling point. Being the eco-nut/cheapskate that I am, I freely admit that I packed up all the CFB’s and brought them with me to the next house.
4. The other side of the lighting argument is that some realtors don’t even turn on the lights when they walk into your house. Therefore, keeping all the window treatments open full tilt will provide natural lighting and make the house look larger without the flip of a switch.
5. When my realtor asked me if there was “something I could do” about my dogs, I was tempted to ask if there was something he could “do” about his kids….I refrained. Understandably, leaving your pets at home intimidates some people and will keep them from spending much time (if any) in your house. It’s best if you can take them for a walk or drive during planned showings.
6. As scary as it is to invite total strangers to come “check out” your house AND turn off your security system, it’s actually recommended that such systems get temporarily shut down to prevent accidental set offs and to stop constant chirping on the part of the alarm. Realtors and buyers alike tend to find constant alarm-type sounds disconcerting, and they are more likely to rush through the showing.
7. Keep the lawn and gardens tidy because your curb appeal is half the battle.
8. Make sure the house is well marked with the address so that it is easy to locate.
I hope that these tips will be useful to anyone planning to sell their house now or in the future. As for my husband and I, we have gone on to settle in a slightly larger rental near Winder, Georgia. It’s been a mixed bag of extra space, great views, and renters’ remorse, but that’s a blog for another day. I guess that’s it for now, but it goes without saying that if anyone out there is looking for a tidy little three bedroom in central Missouri, I know one that is priced to sell!
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