How do I prepare my home for marketing?

The Intelligencer, Sept. 2010 by Mary Lou Erk

 It’s fall and my thoughts turn to cleaning the attic and basement! Does this sound familiar? When you are selling your home, your most important investment, it will always be fall at your house. In other words, you have to get moving, and get the house in sample home condition. Here are some pointers from the experts:

1) Fix anything that could become a bargaining chip for prospective buyers. One problem can make them suspicious of other problems, seen or unseen. Roof: patch any minor problems; otherwise you may have to pay for the entire roof in negotiating. Kitchen: Renovating an outdated kitchen should at least gain back your costs, and you will likely sell the home faster. Yard: an ugly lawn may turn people away. It’s far cheaper to seed than to sod. Also, trees and shrubs need time to fill in – try to plant at least two years prior to selling. Heating/Cooling: If your home has oil or electric heat in a neighborhood where all others have gas furnaces, it probably pays to switch systems. Similarly, if all the homes have central air conditioning and yours doesn’t, install it.

2) Time to unclutter. A well organized home is a relaxed home. You know who you are! Here are the most common housework errors: (a) trying to do everything at once. When every room is a disaster, the task seems overwhelming and nothing gets accomplished. Start with one room per day. (b) Moving on before the task is completed. Set mini goals to keep you focused. Clean one shelf carefully before vacuuming or dusting the room. (c) Procrastinating. The next time you think, “I’ll just set this down here for now, and put it away later,” stop yourself. If you intend to put it away, do it now. (d) Not scheduling your housework. No matter how busy your schedule, time has to be set aside for laundry, dishes and other daily essentials. For general cleaning, a schedule guarantees that priority items will be done. (e) Discard and Sort. Box everything in a given closet, cupboard or drawer and date the box. As you need the item, pull it from the box. Whatever is left in the box after six months should be given away, sold or discarded. (f) Keep work surfaces free of gadgets and storage. Rule of Thumb: If you don’t use the item at least once a month, it doesn’t belong in your kitchen.