Fixing Up a Home Before Selling - Movers.com
Home > Moving Guides > Real Estate > Sell > Fixing Up a Home Before Selling

Fixing Up a Home Before Selling

  5.0/5 based on 1 visitor(s)
views  557 Views

A home is like silver. Just as silver becomes tarnished over time, a house can fall into disrepair. Cleaning and repairing your home, much like polishing silver, can make it like new again. This is a key part of the process of selling your home, because you're going to want it to be attractive to potential buyers.

Outside

The outside of your home is the first impression that potential buyers are going to get. You know what they say about first impressions, so make it a great one by sprucing up your yard and the exterior of your home. Here are some ideas:

 
  • Landscape – The landscape around your home will greatly affect how people see it. Overgrowth and general untidiness can ruin the image of a perfectly good home, so cut back overgrowth, trim bushes, and mow the lawn. You might even want to plant new flowers and spread some mulch in your flower beds and around shrubs. If your grass isn't looking so good, you can make it lush and green again by spreading some grass seed in patchy areas and then covering the whole thing with lawn fertilizer.
  • Exterior – There's a lot you can do to your house itself beyond just throwing a new coat of paint on it (though that's not a bad idea). Clear off any debris (e.g., branches, leaves) from your roof and make sure that it isn't leaking. You should also clean out your gutters and wash your windows, and you could rent a power washer to clean the entire exterior of your home. Some things that might need replacing include damaged trim, window screens, storm windows, and exterior light bulbs.

Inside

While that first impression is important, to help seal the deal, the inside of your home will need to be in top shape as well. You want your potential buyers to be able to envision themselves living in the home. They will be much more comfortable with that picture if the inside of your home is clean and in good repair.

Do the things necessary to get your house in order. This should include organizing or straightening up your belongings. You should always clean everything from top to bottom. Make sure you do the following:
  • Clean windows
  • Dust
  • Clean surfaces (countertops, table tops, etc.)
  • Vacuum and mop floors
  • Try to get stains out of carpets. If you can't, you might consider replacing the carpet
  • Clean the oven and stove top (you never know who might peek inside)
  • Clean side surfaces (the front of the fridge and cabinets can get pretty grimy)
TIP: These "Tips for Cleaning Your New Home" are just as applicable to the home you're trying to sell.

 

If you don't want to do all this cleaning yourself, consider hiring a cleaning service to take care of it for you. Once your home is clean, it's important to keep it that way until a buyer is found. Even after you have a buyer, it wouldn't hurt to keep your house clean. In fact, having an organized and cleaned home will make your packing process much easier.

Repairs

Interior repairs are even more essential than exterior repairs. A toilet that doesn't flush properly is much more of an inconvenience than a torn window screen. Perhaps you've just avoided using it until now, but you need everything to be fully functional for your potential buyers.

 

Here are some things to consider:

  • All of your plumbing should be in working order. Flush toilets, and check all drains and faucets to make sure they work correctly.
  • Replace or repair any major appliances (refrigerator, washer, dryer, dishwasher, etc.) that are going to be sold along with the house.
  • Check all light fixtures, light switches, and outlets to see if they work.
  • Replace broken light bulbs, broken tiles (whether on the floor or wall), or anything else in your home that might be broken or worn out.
  • Paint or repaint anything that needs it. This could include walls, trim, and cabinets. Wallpaper is another option for your walls.

One other note

It might be tempting to do some renovating as part of your attempt to raise the value of your home. However, major remodeling doesn't actually raise property value enough to make it worth it. Focus on repairs and leave the remodels to your buyer.

When potential buyers see that your home is exceptionally clean and in good repair, they're far more likely to be interested in working out a good deal for the purchase of your home.

Adam Mandelbaum  Posted by Adam Mandelbaum on May 14, 2010

Rate this guide Fixing Up a Home Before Selling