Preparing Your Home To Sell
General Suggestions & Recommendations:
- Replace burned out light bulbs, use energy efficient, long lasting CFL/LED bulbs if possible.
- Put outside lights on a timer to ensure your house is properly lit after sunset.
- Touch up and re-paint walls as necessary/paint to more appealing color scheme if needed.
- Replace damaged/discolored electrical and light switch covers
- Pressure wash your home, driveway, patio, and fences.
- Make sure your house number is visible and easy to read.
- Clean and organize garage/carport/storage shed.
- Replace cracked and/or broken windowpanes.
- Make sure the doorbell and door hardware are in good repair.
- Touch up trim paint on doors, window frames, and fascia, and moulding.
- Repair fence and gates, make sure latches work and doors open and close properly.
- Wash windows both inside and out, repair blinds/window treatments.
- Clean gutters and remove debris from roof, repair leaks & damaged shingles.
- Steam clean carpets and floors. Replace carpet and refinish hardwood floors if needed.
- Have HVAC serviced and duct work cleaned out, replace filter(s).
- Have all appliances in working order & clean/sanitize.
- Make sure sinks, toilets, showers, and other plumbing fixtures are in good working order with no leaks.
- Install railing when three or more steps present in stairway.
- Identify & repair any potential trip, slip, and other safety hazards to visitors.
- Have the home deep cleaned by a professional cleaning company.
- Remove any odor causing items and deodorize.
- Depersonalize home by removing the majority of family photos if an abundant amount are present.
- Update hardware on doors, cabinets, and fixtures, making sure they match. Repair any scratches.
- Oil squeaky door, window, and cabinet hinges as well as kitchen drawers that don’t roll smoothly.
- Make sure all locks operate properly and all keys are available.
- Organize closets, allowing for maximum use of space and remove unused items to create more space.
- Install low-flow toilets (in counties with low-flow requirements, un-incorporated DeKalb for example).
- Check for mold & mildew, remediate as needed.
- Get home inspected for Termites. Treat property if active infestation is found.
- Have a deck contractor inspect any loose railings, cracked floorboards or deteriorated support beams.
- Hire a licensed electrician to evaluate electrical wiring & properly label breaker/fuse box slots if needed.
NOTE: If you are unsure about the condition of your home, it may be a good idea to have your home professionally inspected prior to listing it for sale. A home inspection can identify potential issues, which allows the homeowner to repair those issues ahead of time and reduce the number of problems that may arise once a buyer has their own inspection. A pre-sale home inspection is a good idea for most home sellers and can greatly reduce the possibility of a contract falling through during the due-diligence period.