In my previous articles on preparing your house for sale I covered the landscaping and yard of your home, the exterior "envelope", and the mechanical systems.  Now, we come to the hard part.  And it is usually the last thing you do before you put your house on the market, but it can absorb a lot of time and effort.

For all the years you have lived in your house, you have fine-tuned it for your tastes.  The colors you have painted rooms fit your preferences.  The furniture is placed for your comfort.  Your favorite memorabilia are hung or otherwise displayed for easy viewing of your triumphs. 

That's all over now.

You now must, I repeat, MUST, transform your house into one that will appeal to the largest group of possible buyers.  I know, your taste is exquisite in all things decorating, but not everyone appreciates such excellent choices in color, etc.  And color is just the start of the transformation.

In all likelihood, you have too much furniture in at least some of your rooms.  Modern living rooms are the orphans in most homes, and a lot of "special" furniture ends up there (I'm being charitable here).  Great Aunt Agnes' platform rocker from the 1920's may be out of place, unless you're treating the room as a trip back through time, and even then, there should not be so much furniture - of whatever provenance or vintage - that prospective purchasers can't enter the room and move around comfortably.  That is equally so if you have a formal dining room.  A good rule of thumb is that a person should be able to circle the table and chairs without feeling crowded.

Occasionally, I express a rule of thumb that about 1/3 of all existing furniture should be removed from every room.  Your situation may be different, but you get the idea - de-clutter to the max.

Kitchens and baths are difficult to prepare for sale because they are used intensively every day, so there are potions and lotions (in bathrooms) and utensils and pots (in kitchens) that should be put away for showings.  In the case of bathrooms, buy a small plastic bin that will accommodate all bottled and tubed goods, and put them all in it.  That way, when the alarm goes out that a showing is imminent, the bin can be scooped up and squirreled away under a sink.  A similar plan should be in place for the kitchen.

Finally, box for moving as soon as possible all collections, from Matchbox cars to stuffed ducks, to family photos (yes, family photos should be boxed up).  The reason?  We don't want people concentrating on things that have nothing to do with the house.  A VERY SMALL number of such things can be left in place in order to give a human look to the house, otherwise it can seem sterile.  But by very small I mean 19 out of 20 pieces should be packed away.

I'm wearing you out, right?  This is only part of what you will eventually need to do.  The rest I can describe to you in person when the time comes to move, and you will call me, won't you?

A couple of weeks ago I started a series of postings for those homeowners who are getting ready to put their homes on the market.  The first part covered the yard and landscaping.  The second covered the building "envelope," windows, siding and roof.  This part will deal with the systems of the house - heating, plumbing, etc.

The systems of the house are mostly not apparent to most potential buyers.  However, once an offer is accepted, a buyer usually has a professional inspector evaluate the property.  At that time some horrors may come up that could threaten the transaction or involve very costly repairs, so it would be best if you knew about them well in advance.

Do you have pipes that leak (your house, that is)?  Is your heating system making strange noises and/or struggling with cold weather?  How about your air-conditioning?  Does it cool your home?  Does your water heater gurgle and hiccup?  Do electrical switches sputter and spark when you turn them on?  These are all things that an inspector will discover and that a buyer may very well want remediated.

Swimming pools and hot tubs are other systems that will be tested by an inspector.  Get them running in top shape, and get a pool contractor to certify to that effect, just in case you sell your home before the next open the pool.

If you have a private well for your water supply in New Jersey, you have to have an extensive test done on the water when it comes time to sell.  A buyer would want to see the results, and although the State of New Jersey does not necessarily require that you correct all deficiencies in the water, your local health department and a prospective purchaser might want items taken care of - the most likely being lead in amounts greater than the threshold for safety.  That threshold, by the way, was signficantly lowered about three years ago.  Find out your water quality before it becomes an urgent issue.

Septic systems are another issue for some.  In fact, some buyers avoid septic systems altogether and won't buy a house with one.  Nevertheless, an educated buyer will want to have a serious septic system test.  A proper test can cost in excess of $1500.  We're not talking flushing concentrated dye down the toilet and seeing if your yard turns red.  If you have any inkling of a problem with your septic system, address it now, before you put the house on the market.

The sooner you address systems issues, the better off you will be.  If you have problems now, you have plenty of time to get estimates to remedy them.  If you wait until the last minute, you will be at the mercy of any contractor who is available on short notice.

Now, if you're not really into doing systems inspections yourself, reach out to a qualified, licensed home inspector.  There are many good ones out there, and if you'd like, I could recommend several.  For about $500 or so an inspector could provide you with a detailed report, just like an inspector for a buyer would provide.  Your report could be a good negotiating tool should issues come up, but more importantly, you'd have a good idea of the condition of your house.

When you've completed this step you will be ready for the big one - decluttering, staging and the like.  Stay tuned for more.

Yesterday I wrote about the concept of taking six months to plan the sale of your house.  Buyers expect properties in good condition and properties in good or better condition will sell more quickly than ones not so well-maintained.  I started out by urging a review of the landscaping and lawn, the setting of the "jewel" that your home must be when it goes on the market.

Today I want to focus on the building envelope, specifically, the siding, windows and roof, those systems that keep the occupants comfortable in the face of harsh elements and can save a lot of dollars in energy costs.

Now that you have a walkable path around the house, get a clipboard and make notes on each side as you walk around.  What is the condition of the siding?  If vinyl, are there are cracks and pieces missing?  Any sections dangling?  If wood, is there mildew?  Moss? Cracks?  Gaps? Faded paint or stain?  If masonry, is there mortar missing? Broken stone or brick?  Mildew?  Moss?  View the siding of the entire house and take careful notes. 

And don't forget to look at the exposed foundation as you stroll.  Look for missing mortar, cracked plaster, etc.  Also, be on the lookout for termite tubes.  If you see any, call a pest control company immediately.  Most buyers order termite inspections on a property they're buying, but if you wait too long, you may have substantial damage to the structure of the house.  Find out as quickly as possible.

Next, with your clipboard go around the entire house again, looking at the windows.  Are any cracked or broken?  Are thermal windows fogging over?  Do the old-fashioned triple-track or self-storing storm windows move easily in their tracks?  And if there are antique storm windows, the kind that must be physically taken down to the ground and replaced by screens each year, you have a truly big decision to make.

Most windows have some sort of framing around them, often wood.  Check each window to make certain there is no rotted wood.  You may be shocked by what you find - more shocking could be the water that is penetrating the walls of the house through rotted wood.

As you check the windows themselves look closely at the caulk that bridges the gap between window, frame and siding.  Replacing this important material can be done easily and cheaply by a handy homeowner.  However, remember to push the bead of caulk with your caulking gun, otherwise you pull the caulk out as you go. 

Finally, we get to the roof with its gutters, flashing, and skylights, if any.  If your roof is more than 20 years old or looks bad, you should consider replacing the roof, especially if you see signs of water stains under the sheathing, visible from inside the attic (if you have one).  By the time water stains show up on the ceiling of the living area, you may already have rotted sheathing and/or rafters, etc.  Not a pretty prospect.  Just as a footnote, I've seen roofs that had severely curled shingles, very little granular covering and did not leak.  I have also seen roofs that looked fabulous, were less than 10 years old and leaked like a sieve.  Look at the underside of your roof for a true picture of its functionality.

Gutters are often overlooked - at  least until they fall off the house.  In poor shape they can conduct water up under shingles and into the house.  Does water flow well or do you have a rain forest growing in them?  Do the downspouts direct water away at least three feet from the foundation?  Most basement water problems come about as a result of outside grading and downspouts against the foundation.

Now that you've completed the "envelope inventory," it may be clear why I say do the survey six months before you want to sell.  If you need to replace windows or siding or roof, you're looking at some big bucks.  Moreover, it may be difficult to get contractors to bid, much less complete one of those jobs on a short timeline.  Allow yourself sufficient time to complete these jobs before putting the house on the market.  There are other jobs further down the line, closing to the listing date, that will need to be completed then, but I will get to those later.  They too will take time.

By the way, even if you don't plan to put your property on the market in six months, it wouldn't hurt to familiarize yourself with the status of your weather resistance.  There is always a chance of rigorous weather in any season, whether the weather is a hurricane, tornado or blizzard.  Be prepared.  In addition, the U.S. government offers some generoustax credits for improving your home's energy rating.

So, your job(s) is cut out for you.  It could take a couple of months to address all the issues you face on the exterior of your home.  And the fun has just started.  Just wait till you look inside!