If you've lived in your house for a long time and have raised your children and created wonderful holiday (and everyday) memories there, there is a good chance that you will not see your house clearly when it comes time to stage it to sell. Just as we see our beloveds through rose-colored glasses, minimizing the negatives while maximizing the positives, so we see our home. But when it's time to sell, it's time to take off those rose-colored glasses. Put on the buyer-colored glasses and really look at the house as an asset to be liquidated, not as a warm and personal home-environment.
This can be a difficult exercise, but I believe it is a necessary one if you are going to be able to dispassionately assess the strengths and weaknesses of the house and stage it neutrally but effectively.
Here is a handy list of items that we might overlook as happy homeowners but really need to focus on as determined house sellers:
- Keep the lawn trimmed and leaves raked
- Clean up bed lines
- Bleach or pressure wash the driveway
- Sand and repaint trim
- Wash the walls if necessary (You might even see that you need to paint)
- Polish or change out door knobs
- If you have wood floors, make sure they are in good condition
- Keep entry way swept and clean at all times
- Clean scuff marks off floors
- Clean and seal all grout
- Polish countertops
- Polish faucets and bath fixtures; change out if they are dated
- Make sure all window treatments are in good repair, not faded and dust/dirt free
- Corral kids' toys in one contained area
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