What Does “Showing Ready” Really Mean?
I have already written about starting the decluttering process in order to get your home ready to sell. Once you’ve gotten rid of the stuff you didn’t want to move, it’s time to take a super critical look at what deferred maintenance or other conditions detract from your home showing at its best.
Let’s start with the easy things, also known as the Elephant Approach. You’ve all heard the quote, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!” That’s the same way you get your house showing ready. One step at a time!
Wall Painting If you have chosen bold, or multiple wall colors, you will need to paint. Your bold colors and accent walls are great when it comes to expressing your personality but not so great when it comes to showing your house to potential buyers.
Bold colors and / or accent walls attract the eye. You want the buyer looking at the layout of the house and not paying attention to the colors at all. So, paint the walls a neutral color. If you have some walls painted a neutral color, and some that are bold or accent colors, you are ahead of the curve. You can simply use the same neutral color and paint over the accent walls. Much better than having to paint everything!
Touch-up Painting Check all the baseboards, door and other trim. Make sure the paint is not chipped or dirty. If it is, then touch-up and clean to make sure it looks fresh and well-maintained.
Appearances are everything when it comes to having a buyer fall in love with your house. Make sure it appears to have been meticulously maintained at all times! Replace or repair anything that would make a buyer think otherwise.
Is a lightswitch plate or outlet cracked or chipped? Replace it! Hard water stains or buildup that you can’t remove from a faucet? If soaking in vinegar doesn’t take care of it, replace it! Most of the deferred maintenance like this can be addressed for very little cash outlay but bears dividends in the speed and quality of the offer you will get.
Clean! As I’ve said often enough, the best thing you can do to get your house ready for showing is to make sure that it is as clean as can be. It’s surprising to many of us, just how much dirt gets overlooked in our day-to-day living. It’s also the kind of subliminal message that a buyer picks up without even realizing it. Most buyers equate the presence of dirt with lack of maintenance. Don’t let them make that association in your house!
One of the services I provide clients is a Room-By-Room Review and consultation to identify the least expensive way to get the highest dollar for the house. And of course, if doing this in the shortest period of time with the least amount of stress while dealing with high levels of complexity is what you want, then why not call 661-375-7325 and schedule your own no-obligation consultation today?
