Answers to Everyday Questions : How can I make my home more appealing to buyers ?

Realtors rave about homebuyers who pay attention to the “curb appeal” of their home by creating attractive landscaping and a handsome front facade. This isn’t merely conventional wisdom. A National Association of Realtors survey determined that 40% to 50% of all home purchases are based on the exterior appearance of a home. This is all the more remarkable because landscaping and the house exterior account for only about 10% of the total value of a home. The potential is obvious: money spent on the exterior and grounds of your home yields greater returns than money spent elsewhere.

Listed below are some common, and a few odd tips for maximizing the appeal of your home to potential buyers:

Lawn & Garden
*Plant shrubbery around the home perimeter, remove dying or “weed” trees;
*Install mulched beds and keep them watered on days buyers are visiting;
*Create a landscaped feature area with a small ornamental tree and other plantings;
*Keep planting beds weeded;
*Cut grass cleanly around tree trunks;
*Plant tulips in the Spring;
*Install quality edging around all beds;
*Plant mums in the Fall;
*Repair and paint any outdoor furniture or wood items (such as swingsets and bird feeders);
*Have your lawn re-seeded to eliminate bare spots;
*Keep the lawn watered and fertilized for a lush green look;
*Mow once a week to keep the grass length consistent;
*Edge your drives and walks weekly;
*Remove any religious statues or other special decorative items from the front lawn;
*Patch any cracks in concrete walks or drives;
*Ensure your mailbox and post are in good shape;
*If your next door neighbor’s yard is in bad shape, offer to do some basic landscaping and mowing for him during the period your home is for sale. If he’s offended, tough. The poor appearance of his home may cost you money, and besides, he won’t be your neighbor much longer!

House Exterior
*Replace any rotten or deteriorated trim wood;
*Make sure downspouts and splash blocks are in place;
*Touch up or repaint window trim, house trim, exterior doors, and garage doors;
*Consider upgrading the exterior lighting;
*Install a high quality mat at the front door entrance;
*Repair, paint, or stain exterior wood deck;
*Install brick or stone surfacing at the front door;
*Replace or repair any areas of rotten or cracked siding;
*Install vinyl or metal cladding over exterior trim;
*Replace or repair any areas of deteriorated soffit material;
*Repair cement parging around the base of the house;
*Clean gutters of any leaves or vegetation visible from the ground;
*Remove tree limbs or any other objects (frisbees, for example) from roof;
*Make sure door bell is operable;
*Replace cheap door bell or knocker with brass unit.

House Interior
*Clean existing carpeting, or replace badly worn carpeting in selected rooms;
*Touch-up wall paint, or repaint dingy areas with neutral colors;
*Clean cooktop and oven doors thoroughly (install new chrome inserts in electric cooktops);
*Clean all base moulding, and touch up as necessary;
*Make sure all lights are operable with soft-light bulbs;
*Remove any halogen or bright lights that tend to reveal drywall imperfections;
*Patch and touch-up all drywall areas with cracks, indentions or other obvious damage;
*Use graphite on door hinges and locksets to ensure smooth operation;
*Remove some items from cluttered counters, shelves, or tables (keep knick-knack to a minimum);
*Remove selected furniture from home to storage to make rooms seem less cluttered;
*Rearrange furniture for a more open look that is more conducive to walk-throughs;
*Make sure unpleasant odors are eliminated;
*Create a pleasant smell (such as through cooking apple cider or spraying air freshener);
*Make sure the home is comfortable (not too hot or cold) and well-humidified in the winter;
*Clean blinds, shades, or curtains;
*Place fresh flowers in the kitchen;
*Make sure all clutter of any kind (toys, hobby paraphernalia, for example) is picked up and put away;
*If you have pets, try to loan them to a friend or make sure they are out of the house during buyer visiting times. Remove kitty litter trays and other evidence of their existence. See note about odors;
*Remove posters and school artwork from the walls of the kid’s rooms.

Documentation
*Prepare a sheet of home attributes, listing such features as tile floor in bathrooms or other items that homeowners might miss on a quick visit. Leave copies for homebuyers to pick up;
*Use home design software to prepare a floor plan of your home. Leave copies for homebuyers to take with them;
*Prepare a sheet showing a summary of last year’s expenses, including utility bills, real estate taxes, and insurance. Note any special circumstances that caused any of the bills to be higher than average (unusually cold winter, for instance);
*For serious buyers, prepare a list of disclosures that reveals known flaws with the home (circuit breaker pops when the microwave and toaster are used at the same time, for example) These revelations are required in a number of states, and are a good idea regardless. If you can, fix the problems prior to selling the home;
*For serious buyers, keep copies of receipts or other documentation for any major improvements you have made in the last couple of years (roof replacement, furnace replacement, new water heater, for example). Note these improvements on your list of home attributes;
*Hire a home inspector to review your home and point out obvious flaws that will be noticed by a buyer’s inspector. Correct everything you can before putting the house on the market.

Intangibles
*If possible, make sure you and your family are gone when buyers are touring your home. Don’t offer remembrances, anecdotes, or sales pitches if you are home. Let the house sell itself. Do honestly answer questions if a potential buyer asks, but otherwise make yourself scarce.
*Be flexible during negotiations.

If a buyer insists that you replace the kitchen flooring, for instance, use it as a basis of negotiation – not as a personal affront. Don’t get bogged down in the details. Look at the overall financial value of the offer and consider it with a detached viewpoint, recognizing in the example above, that you can either replace the floor as he asks, cut the sales price some amount to make the deal more attractive, or reject the offer with the observation that the house is an excellent value even with the damaged kitchen floor.

Selling your home is a great deal of hard work and emotionally draining, as strangers tour the rooms that hold so many memories for you with an objective detachment. Remember that they are looking at your home from a different point of view, as a place where they can make some memories. More than anything, try to use the tips in this article as a way to have your home in the best shape possible to enable you to obtain the value you deserve from your existing home and move on to your new dream home.