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5 Items Sellers can improve to make their house standout.

Home Seller Improvements5 Items Sellers can improve to make their house standout can be relatively simple and inexpensive.  Even though a buyer will see your home in pictures online before seeing your home in person, the presentation of your entire home is critical. These 5 items can make the difference in offer price and overall buyer interest.

1. Front Yard – Before a potential buyer steps in your home they will size up your home by the appearance from the street.  This first impression of your home from the front yard is critical in setting the interest level of the buyer.  While pictures may not capture details that will be seen in person, it is important to consider landscape condition, hardscape and the exterior as viewed from the street.  A well manicured yard, free of weeds, dead leaves and dead plants is a must.  Overgrown bushes and trees should be trimmed and pruned especially  around windows, doors and walkways.  Potted plants should be kept to a minimum and removed if the area around your front door has more than three potted plants.  Pressure washing walkways and the driveway can help make older surfaces look fresher.  The exterior of the house should be examined and consider touch up paint if there is any peeling paint.  Rain Gutters, Windows and Screens should be cleaned as well.

2. Be a Doorway Detective – At the entrance to your home or any room in your home, stop and scan the room from the doorway.  Ask yourself, does the room look cluttered, is there too much furniture,  are the lights working, are the blinds/shutters/curtains working and clean?

3. Thin and Balance – Even if you think your home is not cluttered, it probably is.  Using the rule of three look at the family room coffee table or an end table.  Are there more than three items on those surfaces?  If so remove everything and leave only three.

Is there balance between hard and soft surfaces?  Do you have hard flooring? If do, you’ll need a rug to help soften up the room and dampen room echo.

Does the room communicate it’s intended purpose?  Is too much furniture making the room look small? Has the bedroom been converted to a non bedroom use? Look at each room with a critical eye and see where you can improve it’s appearance.

4. Lights, Lights and Lights – I can’t stress enough check every light and make sure they are all working.  If a buyer is on their way over to view your home, turn on all your lights, open blinds and window coverings and let the light in.  Same thing for exterior light, make sure they are working and if it is dusk or early evening, turn them on for all showings.

5. Repairs – Remember all those nagging little things you keep meaning to fix, now is the time.  Plumbing, check the bathrooms and kitchen, replacing faucets and drain stoppers are inexpensive if they are older and not in great shape.  Electrical, are all Light switches and outlets working properly?  Do you have an unbalanced ceiling fan?  How about a missing smoke alarm or a smoke alarm hanging from the ceiling.  Is it time to replace your Furnace/AC filter?  Are all doors and windows operating properly?

These little things all add up and the reward by taking the time to work on these can result in an offer price closer to your asking price and a smoother time during buyer inspections.  Little work up front will pay off down the road.

Posted in: Sellers Tagged: clutter, front yard, Home Sellers, offer, real estate

About Ted Mackel

Active real estate broker and entrepreneur in Simi Valley. Ted has a passion for business, has deep knowledge about residential and commercial real estate and is one of the few to be a long time blogger/writer on these subjects. In his free time you'll find Ted enjoying baseball with his family (Go Dodgers), reaching his goal of spanish fluency, and pursuing his hobbies with RC aircraft and Lionel Trains.

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  1. How Do Home Sellers Gain An Advantage says:
    November 22, 2015 at 9:25 pm

    […] 5 Items Sellers can improve to make their house standout. […]

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Client Testimonials

Ted actually helped us find a new home AND sell two homes. He was beyond helpful with everything. When looking for a home, Ted didn't waste our time…My husband and I are really busy so this meant a lot to us….he always had plenty of houses lined up for us to look at and he acted as our personal chauffeur. He really knows Simi, so he knew exactly where to take us….and ultimately he found us our beautiful new home. Selling the other two was a breeze…Ted took care of everything. No complaints here!

suelac2

Ted was wonderful in helping us sell our house. He was in constant communication with us and made the process very easy and stress-free. He was very knowledgeable and professional. I highly recommend him.

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Professional and very easy to work with.

geralyn

Ted's continuing knowledge of local real estate markets enabled an immediate, correct valuation of the house we sold. Calm and competent throughout the process, he remained unflappable through the invevitable hurdles. His escrow team at Keller Williams were perfect.

jeff

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