Checklist For Selling Your Home

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Don't Forget to Look At These Things Before Putting Your Home On the Market

First, congratulations on making what is, for many, a very tough decision.

Selling your home is a very difficult decision, and you are often unsure you want to sell---and if you are forced into selling your home though job relocation or due to financial difficulties, you are forced into making a decision you don’t want to make---often, under less than perfect decision making conditions.   In that case, you will need the services of a friend or acquaintance that can help you judge the premises correctly.
 
If you are selling your home, do a full walkthrough of your home with an impartial third party. This can help you assess the true and obvious condition of your home. Day by day, when we own a home, we see the same things in the home over and over, and may become “blinded” to something which should be fixed in order to make the home appear in the best light.
 
In setting the price for your home, be certain that you use the most recent “comparisons”---also called “comps” for homes similar, situated in a similar neighborhood, and in a similar condition. Realtors are able to gain access to these “comps” which will help you to determine the price to charge for your home on a basis other than “my gut instinct tells me this home is worth $X.”
 
There are some obvious items which must be fixed in order to achieve the highest value for your home.   Here’s the order we would visit them:
 
A    From the street, stand and look at your home. Look at the exterior of the home, and determine if it is attractive and compelling to a purchaser. Should the outside be pressure washed, or painted? If so, what areas need to be cleaned and painted?   If the home has gutters, are they functional and clean? Do all the lights in the front of the home work? It’s important if you have burned out light bulbs, that they be replaced---and, preferably with LCD bulbs which will generate much more light at less cost.    Look at any landscaping. Is it neatly trimmed and is the lawn edged?   Does the lawn have brown or dead spots in it? Can you reseed the yard?    Buyers have reported that attractive lawns and landscaping can add up to $10000 to the value of a home. Check into hiring lawn and or landscape pro to help.
 
It also goes without saying that bee’s nests should be removed, any type of stinging insects must be eradicated, and any snakes or small animals removed from the area.   If you have a pet, find a way to keep the pet away from anyone looking to purchase the property. Although you love “Chester,” a potential purchaser may be allergic, or may simply not like dogs.   It’s been known to happen.
 
B    From the house, look at the garage and/or the back yard area.   Has this been neatly kept up, and—in the case of the garage—is all clutter removed? Bringing a potential purchaser into a garage full of clutter, junk, trash, and dirt is a sure way to turn off any potential purchaser.  One item we always suggest is that you purchase new garbage cans. Old garbage cans never reflect well upon the family that owns them. New cans are very reasonable in cost, and have a secondary positive when yo move to a different home. Dump the old garbage cans. Get new ones.
 
Psychologists tell us that potential purchasers look at three immediate indicators as to whether a home has been maintained properly prior to purchasing it; a) they look at the exterior and garage areas; b) they look at the kitchen area to see if it has been updated or has upgrades in the kitchen; and, c) they look at the bathrooms to see if they are clean and neat, and all grout is intact.   Don’t ask us what that last indicator has to do with anything---but it may be that bathrooms in subliminal thinking are associated with cleanliness in kitchens. Intact grout can indicate that there is less of a chance of water leaks around tubs, showers, or toilets, which—inadvertently—leads to rot.
 
C  Look at the painted interior walls, and the light fixtures inside the home.   Your buyers will be looking to see if the paint is fresh and crisp looking. Are all the light bulbs in the house burning and appear to be proper wattage? If not, make the necessary changes.
 
D  Try out all parts of the HVAC System.   If any part of the HVAC is not working properly, find out why. When did it quit working and what will be required to get it going again?    Turn on the hot water and check to see how quickly hot water flows to each bathroom, kitchen, and any outside hot water lines.   Turn on the cold water and see how much water pressure is in the house.   Nothing is more unsettling to a new buyer than purchasing a new home and finding that the showers don’t work properly.
 
E  Be ready to speak about prewired connections for telephone, television, cable, FTTH, or computers.   Do they all work? Is there a wifi connection within the house, and if you have your laptop available, is it connected to the wifi connection, so as to demonstrate it to a potential purchaser?
 
F  If the house has a swimming pool, have all the information ready about the filtration system, and a copy of any guarantee given when the pool was installed, if applicable. If the pool is professionally serviced, know who services it, what days, how long they have been doing so, and make absolutely certain that the pool is kept spotlessly clean during the time that the house will be shown.   One seller actually had a house with a leaf and frog infested pool which decreased the home's price by $30,000 just because the pool was not maintained. The same goes for Jacuzzi or hot tubs. Just because you may not use them on a regular basis doesn’t mean that the new owner will not find them as the most compelling reason to purchase the property.
 
G Finally, be sure that every window in the house is sparkling clean—both inside and out. Be certain that the windowsills inside any type of storm or outer window have been washed and dried, and that they have been newly painted, if need be.
 
Enjoy this list and let us know other tips that you think sellers should know when selling their home.