Preparing a Home to Sell
Sellers Answers

• Cleaning. “Cleanliness is next to godliness” when you are selling your home. Conceive of this step as spring-cleaning to the nth degree, where you dig in and attack everything; dust, dirt, furniture, fingerprints, and furnace. No fixture should go untouched, from the basement plumbing pipes up to the attic beams. Pay special attention to kitchen, bathrooms, and pet areas.

• Uncluttering. “When in doubt, throw it out—or sell it, or give it away”. Go through every room with this Uncluttering rule foremost in mind. A kitchen counter full of gadgets will make it appear small and crowded. Your goal: to create a roomy, comfortable feeling that is inviting to prospective buyers. A bonus of uncluttering is that it makes moving smoother. If you are moving, you might as well start packing!

• Repairing. A house cannot sell for top dollar if any detail, large or small, is in less than perfect shape. Even small maintenance needs such as a sticking closet door, a cracked bathroom tile, or peeling paint on one side of the house send out a warning signal to buyers. These warning signals trigger a fear response—fear that larger problems are lurking beneath the surface. Neglect repairs and you position your house as a fixer upper, significantly decreasing both the number of potential buyers and the price they will pay.

• Neutralizing. Buyers in general lack the ability to visualize how a house could be. Buyers tend to think that what they see is what they get. Therefore, savvy sellers strive to make their homes look as much like a model home as possible.

• Odors. An unpleasant odor can kill a potential sale faster than anything else. Just as doctors cannot be afraid to deliver difficult news to their patients, Realtors have to tell sellers if their house has a pet odor or smells of cigarettes. Even people who smoke and have pets do not want to buy a house with unpleasant odors.