Nashville Tennessee Living

The 5 Most Important things that Sell your home, Part 2 - Condition!

Earlier this week I posted the most important things that sell your home. They were:

     1. Location

     2. Price

     3. Terms

     4. Marketing

     5. Condition

Condition just couldn't be discussed in a short paragraph so we're dedicating this entire post to it. As Fred Carver commented in the remarks, condition can be discribed as Curb Appeal. Let's start there.

Curb Appeal - 1. Curb Appeal; The first impression your home makes on the arrival of any visitor. It's referred to as "curb appeal" in the Real Estate industry because many prospective buyers won't even get out of the car to look inside if they don't like your home from the curb or street.

You only get one chance to make a first impression. You want it to be a good one. So before you put the sign in the yard take a good inventory of the condition of the landscaping and the exterior of the house. Does the house, drive or walkway need to be pressure washed? Shrubs trimmed? Mulch. One of the best investments you can make.

Next stand at the front door. Count to 50 and look around. What do you see? Does the door need a coat of paint? Are there spider webs in the corners or in the outside lights? Make this area sparkle. If the weather permits, fill a large pot with seasonal hardy flowers. Plant something that's easy to take care of and will hold up in the climate temperatures.

Now it's time to clean the inside.

First start with general clutter. Rent a storage unit if you don't have anywhere to put things. Remember, you're moving. Start packing it up. Piles need to be removed. Floor space is a premium. Make sure you see  a lot of it. Clutter also occurs on the top of the furniture. Sometimes you have too many "trinkets" or things on your mantle or other furniture pieces. A good rule of thumb would be no more than 3 items per surface.

Next, get your duster and go to the highest point in the house. Upstairs or the room with the highest ceiling. Dust the corners of the walls/ceilings removing any/all dust bunnies. Look at the walls for dust and basically work your way down the house. Then go to the light fixtures. Do they sparkle? Do the bulbs sparkle?

Important inside Rooms -  Ideally the entire house is perfect. In lieu of perfect start on the Kitchen, Primary Living space, it may be a Living Room or Greatroom, and the Master Bedroom and Bath. These are your most important rooms. They should look, almost, like no one lives there.

In the Kitchen - clear as much counter space as possible. If you don't use it EVERY day, put it in a cabinet or on top of the refrigerator. The sink must be clean and all the sink "stuff" stored under the sink. Noone wants to look at your dirty sponge.

Keep the garbage emptied to eliminate any unfriendly odors.

Greatroom - See above paragraph about clutter and cleaning! The main living space needs to feel inviting. You want the Buyers to have a desire to plop down on your furniture and just stay! Make sure you don't have too much furniture in this room so that it looks crowded. If your furniture is tight, the Buyers will think that theirs won't fit either.

 Master Bedroom -This is where you really want to appeal to the female that may be buying this house. This is HER retreat. It's worth the time and to make sure that the bedroom and bath have that "model home" look and feel. If you don't have a matching bed set, now's the time to invest in one. It doesn't have to be top of the line, but we're looking for a look here.

There shouldn't be personal things all over the room. The closet needs to be neat and orderly with the clothes hanging loosely. If they're hanging tightly, it will make the closet look small.

Master Bathroom - Whether your bathroom is the delux 400 square foot model, or a simple tub/shower combo with a single sink, some things don't change. Bathrooms are very personal. Nothing turns a buyer off more than to look at all your personal toiletries and belongings. Hang a nice set of matching towels that you don't use. Hook the ones you're using behind the door.

Each person should have their own little basket that will fit neatly under the sink. All of that person's everyday things should be kept in the basket. This way, you ready yourself in the morning and then store away your things under the sink. The sink and mirror should be wiped down daily to eliminate spots and soap residue.

If you have a separate shower with glass door and/or surround, purchase a squidgy at the local bath store. These will usually hang inside the shower. That way it's always available after a shower to wipe down the glass. Believe me this is easier and almost as effective as windexing the glass everyday.

A good Realtor will know how to navigate all of these issues. It's important that you Hire A REALTOR. Interview several. It won't hurt. Then you can compare marketing plans and their philosophy on how to sell your home. Hire a Realtor.

Search for Homes in Nashville TN

Search for Homes in Brentwood TN

Connie Harveyis a local agent with Prudential Woodmont Realty, serving home buyers and sellers in Nashville, TN, Brentwood TN, and Franklin TN. Let her help you realize your Real Estate goals.

Connie can be reached at 615-661-7800 x 1300 or at HarveyC@realtracs.

Follow her Blog: Nashville Tennessee Living