When you live in a home, your first concern is for your own comfort.  When you sell your home, your first concern is how buyers view your home.  First impressions are critical; you want your home to appeal to as many buyers as possible.  Preparation is the key to making a dramatic difference in how quickly you sell your home and what price you will obtain.

TO GET READY, CONSIDER THESE THINGS:

• Clean up & fix up.  Property with “curb appeal” sells quickly and commands a higher price than property without.  If you are selling a lot, have underbrush cleared out so that potential buyers can walk the property with no problem.

• Manicure the front lawn, mowing at least once a week while the property is on the market.  Edge the lawn up the driveway & along the sidewalks in both front & back for a finished appearance.  Keep sidewalks and driveway swept clean.

• Trim all shrubbery & low-lying branches on trees.  Trim trees on shrubs that obscure light from the interior of your home.

• Replace damaged shutters, gutters, and downspouts & remove debris from gutters & downspouts.  Paint any trim that is blistering.

• Clean, stain or paint the front door.  The door and hardware should sparkle.

• Install higher wattage light bulbs throughout the house to make rooms warmer & brighter.  Turn on all lights & open the drapes and blinds for every showing.

• Brighten interiors with a fresh coat of light-toned paint, especially in areas that look fingerprinted, worn or faded.

• Fix any dripping faucets.

• Polish tubs, toilets, sinks & mirrors so they sparkle.

• Replace old caulking around bathtubs. 

• Clean kitchen cabinets & pantry to make them look neat & spacious.  Plug in air fresheners in kitchen and bathrooms.

• Clear kitchen counters, including small appliances.

• Store out of season clothing so that closets do not have a cluttered appearance.  Remove items from the floors of walk-in closets

• Pre-pack items that may clutter your home.  Extra toys in the children’s rooms & nick-knacks may actually make rooms appear smaller than they are.

• Organize the garage so it looks clean and roomy.  Stack all items against the walls to show maximum space.

• Vacuum the garage, rafters and all floors

You may even want to consider a professional cleaning service to clean your home from top to bottom while it’s on the market.  Let them do the hard jobs so all you need to do is keep things going.

Remember that everyday will present an opportunity for a showing to a prospective buyer.  Before leaving home make sure everything is in it’s proper place, open a few drapes/blinds and turn your sound system to an easy listening station to help set the home buying mood.

Selling your Madison MS property? Make sure you have it marketed for all eyes to see! YOUR MADISON MS REAL ESTATE TEAM markets and lists your home FOR THE WORLD TO SEE!!! Not just those looking here in MADISON MS, but people all over the country will see your home for sale.