Thinking of selling your home? Find out if your house is ready to list by taking this simple quiz. Just answer YES or No to these questions and see your results below to find out if your house passes the test.
1. Are you forever losing things and searching for everyday items?
2. When you look out the windows do you see the view outside or dusty glass? Use the same test on your furniture. Do you see tabletops or does the dust get in the way?
3. Is your refrigerator covered with fridge magnets and family photos?
4. Are your lighting fixtures clean and in good working order?
5. When you walk into a room, can you move around freely?
6. Are you overwhelmed by a particular smell when you enter the house?
7. Do you neatly organize all your appliances and kitchen gadgets on your counters?
8. Are your walls painted in bright colors?
Answers:
If you answered NO to most of the questions, you're well on your way to being ready to list your home. If you answered YES to most of the questions, it sounds like you've still got work to do.
1 & 2. If you answered YES to questions 1 & 2, it could be a sign that your home is messy and full of clutter. Find a place for everything you need and get rid of stuff you don't use. Give all the rooms a good cleaning and keep them that way. When you show potential buyers your home, it should look clean, and free of clutter – just like the home they've always wanted.
3. Answering YES means it's time to clean off the fridge and put those graduation pictures or children's artwork away until after the move. Potential buyers are trying to imagine the home as if it were their own, so unless you're planning on selling the kids with the house, it's a good idea to remove the family photos.
4. No one wants to see a flickering bulb or dusty fixture. It's not likely to make or break the sale, but helps to create an overall impression of a well-maintained home.
5. Each room should contain a focal point or object that signifies the purpose of the room. If it is full of excess furniture or accessories, it becomes distracting. Do some re-organizing and move some of those extra chairs or end tables to other rooms. If you can't use your accessories elsewhere, pack them away.
6. No one wants to walk into a house and smell cat litter or the remains of last night's corn beef and cabbage dinner. Keep the carpets cleaned, put boxes of baking soda in your cupboards, and use lightly scented air fresheners.
7. If you answered YES, think twice – your counters should appear model home perfect. That means they should be cleared off, and totally free of clutter or gadgets. Just try it, you'll be surprised at how good it feels to work in a tidy kitchen.
8. If it fits in your budget, all your walls should be painted in neutral or warm off-white colors. Bright or dark colors make rooms look small, and can have a shocking affect when a potential buyer enters a room. The best walls sit quietly in the background providing a canvas for your furniture and accents.
Marc Rasmussen is a specialist in the Sarasota FL real estate market. To search for homes and browse listings in the Downtown Sarasota real estate market, visit Marc and his team at LuxurySarasotaRealEstate.com. |
