Selling you home soon? Please check out our “10 Tips for Selling your Home for TOP DOLLAR!”
1. Paint the exterior and interior of the home. Rule #1 Positive first impressions are crucial to selling your home for top dollar. The first thing a buyer sees when a new listing hits the internet is the front exterior photo, so a house that looks good from the outside will garner more attention. Additionally, the front exterior is the first thing a buyer will see when they drive by the house. We can’t stress the first impressions concept enough!
2. Make sure all exterior plants are alive, and well kept. If your lawn is brown, start watering until it’s turn green again. We live in Hawaii, so it shouldn’t take more than a week or so of watering until the grass is green again. If your yard is lacking plants/color, we HIGHLY recommend spending some money on landscaping. If you are repainting the exterior, hold off on planting until after the painting is complete. If you are not painting the exterior, get the planting done ASAP. Please make sure to trim overgrown bushes & trees before photos are taken. This is especially important is the vegetation restricts natural light or impedes airflow in the home!
3. Clean all windows, window sills, window frames, and screens. Windows should be streak free, and sills, frames, and screens should be clean and free of debris. If screens are torn, please have them replaced. If screens are older but cannot be replaced, please remove and put in storage.
4. Make sure all windows and doors are working properly. By working properly, we mean they open and close with relative ease. Testing windows is one of the first things a buyer will start doing if they are interested in buying your home. A little elbow grease and WD-40 will go a long way, so do your best to make sure all windows & doors are in operating condition. Properly working windows ensures proper air flow, and during the summer months, good airflow is crucial to selling your home for TOP DOLLAR!
5. Make sure entry area is clean so that people have easy, unobstructed access to the house. A few plants and small accessories are fine as long as the area is still open and unobstructed.
6. Clean organize carport/garage areas. Many times in Hawaii, the garage/carport is easily seen from the front of the house. That being said, this area must be SPOTLESS! The ultimate goal is to have NOTHING visible in these areas. Anything stored in cabinets, storage lockers, on shelves etc. must be extremely sparse and organized.
7. Kitchen & bathrooms needs to be spotless! By spotless, we mean all counters, interior/exterior of all drawers and cabinets, and appliances must be as clean as humanly possible. Showers, toilets, tubs should also be immaculate. Ensuring counters are free of small appliances, cooking tools, spices etc. will help display as much open counter space as possible.
8. Floors, carpeting, & tile floors should be clean enough for a small baby to crawl around! Best to have carpets professionally cleaned & hardwood floors polished if possible. Any cracked or broken tiles should be replaced or repaired.
9. Cabinets & Closets should be clean, organized, and sparsely stocked. Again the concept is to present as much space as possible. The less “stuff” you have in these areas, the better! Remember, you are moving, so no better time than now to start packing! 🙂
10. Call John Stallings with questions or if you need a contractor or handyman referral to help complete the list described above! We realize you may need help getting your home prepared to sell, so please contact us to get a quality referral for any pre-listing work you would like to complete prior to marketing your home.
