List With Me

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Are you thinking about listing your home?  For many, just thinking about getting their home ready for market is STRESSFUL – but it really doesn’t have to be! If you’re considering selling, give me a call and let’s discuss all of the ways to make the process simple!

Below are tips to get you on your way to a smooth experience.

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Before Listing: Curb Appeal is the Real Deal!

Tip #1: Driveway Clean Up

It’s the first thing a buyer will see when they pull up! Having a clean driveway pad sets the tone for the rest of the showing.  If you have a stubborn driveway stain, try putting some liquid drain cleaner on it then simply sweep away.

Tip #2: Garage Door Go-Over

Let’s face it, the garage door is one of the most visible and largest parts of a home!  Does yours need a new paint job?  Is it dented?  Does it open and close quietly and easily?  If your garage door needs to be replaced, that is one investment that will really help increase the value of your home!

Tip #3: Front Door Freshen Up

An appealing front door will always help a home sell quickly, and sometimes a coat of fresh paint is all you need!  Bright and Bold is eye catching and very in style at the moment!  Take a trip to the hardware or paint store and find a swatch that matches the exterior of your home to find a cool coordinating color for that first look, front door make-over.

Tip #4: Prune the Patch

The last thing many home buyers want is to have to tame an already overgrown landscape!  Plus, pruning back trees and shrubs will make your house look bigger.  Take a weekend and don’t be shy about cutting back!                                               

An empty yard sells better than an overgrown yard, probably because an empty yard looks larger! When trimming back your shrubbery and trees as you're getting ready to sell your house, don't be timid. Trees and shrubbery should not hide the house itself. Less is more!

Tip #5: Green the Grass

If you have sprinklers, turn them on and let that grass green up! Once your listing is underway, a trick is to water your lawn before showings.  Freshly watered lawns give a fresh clean smell and a shimmer that shines in the sun.

Tip #6: Freshen the Flowers

Make a great impression with vibrant flowers. Make sure your flower beds have fresh, flowering plants.  You might even consider a flowering hanging basket.  Just make sure there are no dead plants hanging around in your yard for showings.   

When it's time to retire all those half−dead plants (both in your yard and in your house) that you keep thinking will come back to life someday. They make a mess by dropping leaves, and to put it frankly, having no plant is better than having a dead one. A quick solution is a trip to the nursery for a few fresh new plants!

Tip #7: Downsize

Start early and start by sifting through your'STUFF'!?!? Do you ever find that you're having trouble pulling your car into the garage because you have so much stored in there? Clean it up by storing everything you can at a helpful relative's home or a rented storage unit. This way, your garage area will appear larger, and when it comes time for you to move, you will be more organized.

Take as many of your personal items as possible out of your closets and store them in an out−of−the−way place. When your closets are cleaned up, they will look much larger to the potential home buyer! Abundant closet/storage space is a major selling point for most people. Apply this rule to any storage area.

Remember, less is more, you're not selling furniture; you're selling a house! Keeping this in mind, you may want to remove any large or ornate pieces of furniture. unless your taste in furniture is the same as the potential buyer's, large pieces aren't going to help your house sell. Their absence, however, will make your house appear spacious and inviting.

Wrap and pack a lot of items to go along with less furniture. This one in conjunction with creating more space are tied together. It will take some time to get all your knickknacks packed and ready to move. Why not do it now? Wrapping these little items in newspaper and storing them will make your move easier, and it will help your house show better. Remember, less is more!

Have that garage sale you've been meaning to have, but never got around to. This is one of the quickest, easiest, and most cost−effective ways to clear out those items that make your living space look cluttered. Check with your local newspaper to see if they offer a \"Garage Sale Kit\" including signs if you place a classified ad in this category.

Tip #8: Finishing Touches

Clean the carpets

When you are ready to list your home, it's always a good idea to have the carpets cleaned. A clean home will always sell faster, and you should accentuate the fact that you take care of your home. Leave a few pairs of shoes just inside the front door to imply that you are meticulous about the appearance of your house!                       

Let the sunshine in

Most people keep curtains, blinds and drapes closed for privacy, but when your house is for sale, be sure to open them all! Your house will look larger and brighter. Make sure that your windows are crystal clear. If your screens are worn out and full of holes, replace them. If you can't replace tattered screens, take them out entirely to give that clean appearance. Don't forget to wipe down dusty blinds and windowsills. Now if you have a window that faces an eyesore, you won't want to keep the drapes or blinds open. In that case, you would keep them closed, but still maintain a neat appearance.    

Polish fixtures

Polish all fixtures, brass, chrome, glass, etc. with a high polish. This includes refrigerator tops, micro waves and THE OVEN (inside and out) All this work will add a sparkle to your home!                                                                                       

Clean the pool

Last but not least, if you have a pool, it should look like you're just ready to throw a pool party, even if it's the dead of winter. You want to be sure to remind the buyer of how much fun a pool really is! This means a clean, uncovered pool with all of the furniture out and looking its best!

Tip #9: Brighten things up

Add a dramatic appearance to your house with new light bulbs! A bright house looks larger, cleaner and more appealing to a potential buyer. Avoid the curly-q fluorescents, halogens or day light LED’s are best. This will create an open feeling, similar to the many new homes that are built today with lots of windows and skylights!

Tip #10: Dollars and scents

If you're not already popping something in the oven to fill the house with a pleasant aroma, citrus diffusors work great. This particular scent has a great impact. However, the best route is having some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies on a platter with some napkins. Remember, we're trying to appeal to as many senses as possible!

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