Take care of the easy fixes!
When working with clients, I like to explain what's in it for them to follow my recommendations. In this case here's What's In It For You (WIIFY):
1) House Shows better, WOW factor=HIGHER offer
2) Buyers perceive that the home has been better taken care of overall (comfort)
3) Buyer's agents (if they're like me) tally the potential repair costs and look at a home anticipating what a inspector will report.
Here's your QUICK LIST:
Patch holes in walls and paint
Sand and Touch up paint any rough areas
Tighten toilet seats
Repair leaky faucets
Fix running toilets
Tighten loose hinges on doors and cabinets
Rips in screen door or window screens, go ahead and replace them now
Re-caulk any areas with shrinking or broken caulk
Clean HVAC returns and replace filters
Scrub off commonly touched areas of handprints (door frames, walls)
Patch holes in the driveway if needed
Clean the gutters
Power wash the outside of the house
Got Small Humans? Remove stickers from walls, paint over "wall art", Magic Eraser the rest.
Next Steps:
1. Add odor neutralizers. Olfactory senses get used to your own smells over time...but a buyer can detect pets, smoke, and cooking odors right away.
2. Hire out cleaning. Have a professional come in a clean top to bottom. They see what you don't and do the detail work you don't want to.
3. Pack, darling, pack. A tidy house is a sold house. Listen to your agent.
4. Mow, honey, mow. Weed, weed-whack, trim, and leaf blow. Or, hire it out. (I know a guy!)
Remember: how you live is fine for you, but now your house is a product to be sold to someone in search of their dream.
