Preparing Your House For Sale

The competition in real estate is tough. Every day there are a number of new houses on the market, waiting to be sold at the right price. While your house may have been in the market for some time now, a good bid hasn't come your in. You can’t help but ask yourself what you could do to gain an edge among other homes for sale?

 The perfect time to begin on that list of home repairs you've been putting off is:before you put our house on the market. This way, you prepare your home forpotential buyers, making it ready to move in as soon as it is sold. More importantly itkeeps bids reasonable since the buyers have no excuses as to why they should offerless. Keep these house repair tips in mind to prepare your property for potentialbuyers:

Windows, screens, and doors

These are the first features buyers will see before entering a house. It’s best toprepare the exterior to make sure that you make a good first impression. Repair orreplace old screen doors since aged aluminum has a tendency to oxidize, bend,and/or break. If you have screens on your windows, make sure to replace them aswell, or clean them, overtime these can accumulate a lot of dust.Remember to trim, cut, and water plants and flowers in the front yard too. Washyour windowpanes for clear glass, and adding a fresh coat of paint on your frontdoor could also help make a wonderful first impression. Showing a well-presentedexterior to potential home buyers automatically gives your home esteem even beforecoming inside.

Roof and gutters

These 2 may not be in direct eye site to potential home buyers as they walk up to thehouse, but it’s always safe to be prepared and ready when they do inquire about itsupkeep. A house’s roof takes the most beating during various weather conditionsand it’s imperative that we keep it regularly maintained and replaced to preventdrafts and leaks. Gutters are important too because, they may receive a lot ofdamage during heavy rains in spring, winter, and leaves in fall. Remember to clear itof those leaves and other debris that may have accumulated. If the gutter caps haveaged, replace them with new ones or if the caps are still good , just make sure thatthey are properly sealed. Unsealed gutter caps may cause leaking and water stainson your house’s sidings.

Keep the house odor free

The first thing that hits potential home buyers once they enter is smells and aromasof the home. Sometimes when a home has been lived in for quite some time, it mayaccumulate an odor that can be from indoor pets, if there are smokers at home, itmay be the scent of cigarette smoke. Never try to mask these odors by lightingscented candles, incense or adding potpourri as this may only aggravate the odor.Take a day when the sun is up to air out the house by opening all your windows anddoors. If the odors seem to linger then maybe a deeper cleaning is necessary, bywashing carpets and upholstery and cleaning the walls of areas that need it most.

Paint, tile, and seal

Older looking walls should be painted over, broken tiles in the kitchen or bathshould be replaced, and nail holes should be repaired. Baseboards that have beenscratched by pets or by moving furniture around the house, should be painted fromend to end, not just in the affected areas. Lastly, take the extra time to prepare thebathrooms and kitchen. Make sure that there are no leaks from faucets orshower heads, the tiles are clean, and stains are taken care of.

How prepared were you for your open house? Please leave comments below.