Selling Basics

Preparing for the Sale

It’s time to get your home ready for the spotlight. Doing whatever you can to put your house's best face forward is very important if you want to get close to your asking price or sell as quickly as possible. Short of spending a lot of money, here are several ideas for making your home show better:

• Sweep the sidewalk, mow the lawn, prune the bushes, weed the garden and clean debris from the yard.
• Clean the windows (both inside and out) and make sure the paint is not chipped or flaking. And speaking of paint, if your home was built before 1978, federal law gives a buyer the right to request a lead inspection. If you think you might have some problems, do the inspection yourself beforehand and make any fixes you can.
• Be sure that the doorbell works.
• Organize closets.
• Make sure the basic appliances and fixtures work. Get rid of leaky faucets and frayed cords.
• Make sure the house smells good : from an apple pie, cookies baking or spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. Hide the kitty litter.
• Put vases of fresh flowers throughout the house.
• Having pleasant music playing in the background also will help set your stage.

Talk to one of our real estate professionals about other tips that can help boost a home's curb appeal. One way to make a home more attractive is to purchase a Home Warranty. This insurance protects you, the seller, from paying repair or replacement costs of major items during the listing period and before you even pay for the policy. .It also protects the buyer during their first year of homeownership. They may wish to purchase additional coverage for up to three years on existing homes and four years on new homes.

In addition, make sure you are aware of all the federal, state, and local disclosure laws.(SAS disclosures, etc) Our associates will help in directing you in this process if need be.