Evaluate The Condition Of Your Home
The condition of your home is of critical importance for many reasons. The most obvious is that in order to get the best price for your home, it must be in great shape. Another reason is “speed to sale.” If you have priced your home at the top of the market and want to sell it reasonably quickly, it has to be in better shape than any of the comparables in your neighborhood.
We suggest that you do two things to evaluate the condition of your home.
First, hire a professional inspector to review your home and to point out any repairs or flaws that a buyer's inspector would find during the buyer's inspection. You might as well know up front what a buyer would find and try to address the problems before you put your home on the market. You can hire an inspector at a cost of a few hundred dollars.
Second, conduct your own personal evaluation of the house, outside and inside. An inspector will only be looking for items in need of repair. You will still need to look for drawbacks and areas where you might want to make improvements.
A home inspector will use a similar list to find items in need of repair. But, if you choose not to use an inspector, you will use the Home Prep Checklist to identify the repairs yourself and to identify drawbacks or areas for improvement. You may also use it to estimate the cost and the time it will take to complete everything you list, as well as who might help you get the jobs done.
Look at Your Home Through a Buyer's Eyes
A critical step to preparing your home to be “Ready to SELL” is to try to see the home through the eyes of a buyer. This is not the time to be overly sentimental about your home and the little flaws that are endearing to you. Rather, be ruthless: “Would a buyer see this as a drawback?”
Recognize that value is often communicated by the way a buyer feels in your home and that buying a home is a very emotional experience as well as a significant financial transaction. Buyers want to purchase a home that is in “move-in condition”…a home that requires little or no repairs or fix-up immediately after moving in. The rare buyer who looks for a home in poor condition is looking for a bargain.
Prepare your home so that it appeals to a buyer's emotions as well as their checkbook. You may even want to enlist friends or family to help you by giving you an honest appraisal of the look and feel of your house.
Would they describe it as comfortable, warm, inviting….? If not, why? What would they say are your home's best and worst features? How will you address its worst features? What would they say is the one thing you probably don't notice anymore about your house, but they notice every time they visit (i.e., the crack in the ceiling of the living room, the broken mailbox post, the door frame that's been scratched by the dogs)? Remember, if you have lived in a home for many years, you have probably gotten used to flaws that others would spot immediately. Add your own questions to these and compile your own survey to determine areas where you can improve your home's appeal to potential buyers.
Once you have a good idea of what is appealing about your home and where you can make improvements, you can develop a plan to make it as appealing as possible to as many buyers as possible.
The Home Prep Tour
The Home Prep Tour is a tour of every area of your home – interior and exterior – with notepad, pen and Home Prep Checklist in hand. If possible, enlist at least one trusted friend to do the tour with you to ensure that you have the benefit of seeing your property through someone else's eyes.
The Exterior Review
Front, Side and Back Yards, Driveway, Sidewalks
Let's start with the exterior. Back your car out of your driveway, drive down the block and then turn around at the end of your street and slowly drive back. Now take a look at your street and then, particularly, your home, as though you were a potential buyer. What do you see? Remember, look for what a potential buyer is going to see. We call this the “drive-up impact” or “curb appeal,” which is of major importance in getting a buyer to stop and look at your home. If your home doesn't have enough appeal to get a buyer interested at the curb, you can be sure you won't get them in the door to see if they like the rest.
As you drive onto your property, you may realize that the driveway is in need of an overhaul. This may be one of those repairs that don’t make sense. You don't want to spend a lot of money that you'll never get back. Although a driveway is a major component of a home, in this case, you have some choices. First, it might be possible to buy a few gallons of blacktop sealer and coat the driveway.
While it won't take the cracks away, it will freshen the look, and buyers may find that to be enough. If so, spending a few dollars just saved you several thousands. You may also consider buying a driveway patch kit which you can find at most hardware stores or home repair centers. This would be an example of where you might make notes on your checklist about your options for addressing the driveway.
Now let's assume you are parked at the end of your driveway. Check out the front of your property. Perhaps several years ago someone hit and dented your mailbox, but you decided to live with it because you were just too busy to have it replaced. Now is the time.
A damaged mailbox at the front of your property says many things to a potential buyer driving up to your property, and none of it is good. Buy a new mailbox and maximize a good first impression. It's time to get out of the car and take a walking tour of the exterior of your property. Do you have overgrown or dead plantings in the front yard? If so, now is the time to have them taken away and replaced with new shrubs. Don't even think about listing your home if the shrubs in front of the house are dead.
Does your home have large bare spots around the foundation with no shrubs, especially in the front? For a few hundred dollars you can add new ones to your home which will improve its appearance by thousands of dollars. How's the lawn? Is it cut and neat? Does it have bare spots from the children's swing on the tree? If so, get a few bags of good soil and a box of seed from the local garden shop and reseed it. A nice lawn is important if you want to get the best price for your property. A few bags of fertilizer can do wonders for a tired lawn, and a few dollars spent on landscaping will significantly improve curb appeal.
Now look around in general at your home and your immediate neighbors' homes. Do you notice any eyesores? If so, do your best to eliminate them. Do you have an old boat, RV, or broken-down car in your front yard or on the side of your home? Does junk in a neighbor's yard overpower the look and feel of your property? All these things can devalue your home and neighborhood and therefore negatively impact your selling price.
Perhaps there's nothing you can do about your neighbor's property. But you might consider telling him you are trying to sell your home and that you will pay to have his old boat or car moved to another location or at least to the back of his yard and out of sight. The cost to move it will be insignificant when you consider the negative impact on your property value.
Before we move on to your house itself, let's continue walking around your property. Do you still have the old, unused jungle gym in the back yard? Is the broken gas grill still out back? Do you have clutter around the house or outdoor items that are old, broken, or tired? Now is the time to get rid of all of it. A clean and orderly property will command a much higher price. A cluttered yard communicates that the inside of the house might also be in bad shape.
Inspect the trees around the house. Do any of them extend over the house? Are they blocking the sunlight on the property? Prune the branches to improve the look and let more light into the house. Another rule to remember: “People gravitate to sunshine.” People feel better in bright locations. A dark home will not sell as well as a bright, sunny one. Try to let as much light into your home as possible and it will sell more quickly and at a higher price. If you have lots of trees around the house, you might want to “raise” the lower branches. By cutting the lower branches you may still have the feeling of “being in the woods” but you add visibility to the property. Add light to the property and your lawn may even grow better. The cost to cut lower branches is nominal compared to taking out trees.
What's the view from your backyard? Does your neighbor's property look awful? If so, you might want to consider a fence; otherwise, your property value could be diminished. Check local zoning laws and your survey map if you want to put up a fence. Again, the expense of a few thousand dollars can improve your property and result in a higher selling price for your home. Alternatively, you might want to consider adding a row of large evergreen trees. Your neighbor may even share the cost.
The Outside of Your House
After your yard and property are under control, it's time to give the outside of your house an objective look. Again, try to look through a buyer's eyes.
Does the house have mold or mildew on it anywhere? Or is it dirty or tired-looking?
An easy way to give a house a quick and very inexpensive cleanup is to use a soft brush with a long handle, which you can find at any hardware retailer, home improvement center, or even a boat store. Fill a five-gallon bucket with 5% bleach and 95% water along with a 1/2 cup of liquid laundry or household detergent. Wear eye protection, and use the brush to get rid of the mold and dirt. In a few seconds the mold and mildew will simply disappear. If you are removing mildew in an area where there are plants or shrubs, spray them with water before applying the bleach solution. Rinse the home well but also rinse any nearby plants or shrubs with clear water from your hose as the bleach solution could damage or kill them. Simply washing the home could make it look much younger and add tremendous value.
If the outside of your home is in really bad shape, rent a power washer, but take care not to damage the paint. However, if the paint on your home is peeling and you're handy, you can apply a coat of new paint on your home for a few hundred dollars. If you decide to hire a professional painter, it might cost you a few thousand dollars, but this is money well worth spending. This is another improvement that can add much more value to your home than it costs and will make a major difference in how quickly it sells.
If the house is covered in siding, is it in good shape? If not, get it fixed.
Is the roof OK? Any leaks? If the roof is just tired, you might get away with leaving it alone.
However, if the roof is in bad shape, you must get it repaired if you want to sell your home for a top price.
Why? Because a worn-out roof is one of those drawbacks that can completely turn off prospective buyers.
Although most buyers will know that a damaged roof can be repaired, a negative tone has been set which might make them think that other shortcomings are lurking around the corner and they might simply move on to another home. Because a bad roof constitutes a “big deal” to a potential buyer, a new roof is your only option. It may cost you a few thousand dollars, but again, it is well worth the cost.
Last on our list of outside items to consider are the gutters and downspouts. Have they been cleaned? Do you have leaves and debris clogging them up? Take the time before you put the house on the market to clean the gutters.
Remove the debris and wash the gutters out with your garden hose. When a prospective buyer or an inspector climbs up and sees spotless gutters, the impression will be very positive. If you are not handy, this is another area where you can look in most local papers and find a service to clean the gutters for a small amount of money. Again, money well spent.
A prospective buyer will be more attracted to a home that is clean and neat on the outside. If your exterior is cluttered or unattractive, you risk that a buyer will either offer you a lower price, or you won't even get them in the front door to look at the rest of the house.
We're almost ready to proceed to the interior living areas of the house, but let's cover the garage and basement first, since these can be key areas for repairs or improvements and will add lots of value to your home if handled well.
Typically, if a homeowner has been in his or her home for more than a few years, the garage is probably a nightmare. It's the easiest place to drop your “stuff” when you want to save it but have no idea where to put it. Are you guilty of saying, “I think I may need this someday?” If so, read on. Some garages are so full of stuff that a potential buyer could get completely turned off and move on to look at another home. De-cluttering might take some time and effort, but it is essential and very profitable in that it could help you get a better price for your home. The hard part is making the decision about which stuff to discard. A good rule of thumb is, “If you haven't touched it in three years, you don't need it.” Just bite the bullet. Get it done! Perhaps the solution is a garage sale or a trip to your local charity, shelter or Goodwill store. Another option is going to our website where you will find access to two of our partners who will help you clean up and de-clutter your home. For stuff you want to keep, 1-800-PACK-RAT® offers the simplest way to store your stuff and de-clutter your home. There’s no need to search the phone book for self-storage facilities and hauling everything there and back. A weather-proof steel container, available in two convenient sizes with lockable doors, is brought right to your home.
All you do is fill it with your stuff and then 1-800-PACK-RAT will move it to a nearby climate-controlled and secured warehouse.
After you sell your home, they will bring the container to you, either to your old home or your new one, whether it is across town or across the country. And 1-800-PACK-RAT backs its service with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee.
It's the perfect way to clean out your garage (or your entire home). It allows you to keep those items that you just can't throw away and want to move to your new home, but need to store so that your current home will look better to prospective buyers.
To simply get rid of your junk call 1-800-GOT-JUNK?® They'll haul away almost anything—from old furniture and appliances to garden waste and renovation debris. Plus, they do all the loading and cleanup, wherever the items are—you don't even need to get them to the curb!
Regardless of where the stuff goes, make sure to get the garage clean. A garage that is clean and neat adds tremendous VISUAL impact AND additional square footage to your home. More important, a clean and spacious-looking garage adds substantial value to your home.
Many home centers sell special floor paints that can make a garage look clean and new as well as systems that can be installed to neatly hold everything… yard tools, bikes, outdoor equipment, and recyclables … all the stuff you want to keep. Put “Clean out and organize the garage” on your Home Prep Checklist. It really matters, and it's one of the easiest areas of your home to add value for little or no money.
The Front Entry
We're almost indoors, but let's spend a few minutes on the front entrance to your house. This is the area a buyer is likely to notice first.
If the paint on your front door or on the front of the house is old, faded or peeling, it is important to repair it, no matter what the cost, because that is an area that creates the critical first impression and sets a tone before a potential buyer even walks into your home. Polish or replace the front door hardware and consider a fresh coat of paint or varnish on the door. Clean and polish the porch light and replace any burned out bulbs. Buy a new “Welcome” mat. This is one of a very few inexpensive investments that we feel are essential to a house that shows well, and it can be taken with you to your new home. Add a fresh potted plant to the doorstep and keep it watered while the house is on the market. Consider a decorative wreath on the front door to add some memorable color and further convey a sense of welcome. Remember that the first impression is the most important one. You'll never get a second chance to make a good first impression. A bad first impression will stay with the potential buyer throughout the entire tour of the home.
The Interior Review
Finally, let’s go inside and take a look around as your prospective buyer will. OK, you just stepped into your home at the front door. If you haven't already done so, now is a good time to “turn on” all your senses. What you see is, of course, most significant when selling a home. But you should also consider all the sounds, smells and other senses that will impact a buyer. When you enter, take a moment to think about what you see. Is it a pleasing, welcoming, uncluttered and well-lit scene? Or is it a crowded, cluttered or dim entry? Now close your eyes. Listen for any unpleasant sounds. Then breathe in and out and consider how your home smells. Are you comfortable in the space? Is the heat or air conditioning on too high? Try to be aware of all these senses throughout the process of getting your home “Ready to SELL.”
Remember a good tip: If you find areas that need improvement, in most cases, you can address repairs, drawbacks and improvements at a lower cost on your own, before your home goes on the market. Otherwise, what usually happens is that the buyer will have an inspection done, which will uncover certain flaws, and will then ask for a reduction in the purchase price based on the “typical” or “market cost” of the repairs that have to be made. Haggling over the cost of those repairs is time and energy you can save by taking care of repairs before you put your house on the market. The cost of an inspection could be a few hundred dollars, but it could save you thousands in the long run. More important, it will let you know in advance what needs to be repaired so that you have fewer negatives in your presentation. In terms of timing, an inspection can be ordered and done in a week or two. Your Home Prep Tour can be done in a day.