January 8, 2008

Happy 2008!

If you might be selling your home this year, add to your New Year’s resolution list: Make the right first impression.  It’s an old adage that “You only have one chance to make a first impression.”  We’ve all heard it from doting mothers and high school guidance counselors.  They were right.

When you’re selling your home, the impression that prospective buyers get – from the minute they park at the curb – can make or break your sale.  So make sure your home’s first impression is a good one by:

Picking up

Each room in your home should be neat and tidy.

Minding the yard

Is the lawn mowed?  Weeds picked?

Getting rid of all odors

You’ve learned to live with the smells of your dogs and cats, teenage son’s gym shoes, grandmother’s smoking, and last night’s baked salmon.  But your prospective buyers don’t want to live with those smells.  Replace them with warm, inviting aromas – perhaps a mild potpourri or freshly baked cookies.

Giving your home a good scrub-down

Now is the time to clean in between the cracks, behind and under the furniture, on top of the ceiling fans – all the places you could afford to ignore before.  If your home looks and smells fresh and clean buyers will notice – and they’ll be more inclined to make you a good offer.

Making mild repairs

A squeaky door hinge, dent in the wall, or chipped tile can all be easily repaired.  They may seem small, but prospective buyers will notice the details and even small problems can leave a big impression in the buyer’s mind.  If you’re competing against new homes you’ll have to be even more conscious of small problems – ones that a buyer won’t find in a brand new house.

If you’re too busy, or simply not detail-minded, hire a yard maintenance and home cleaning service to get your home in showing condition.  The few hundred dollars you’ll spend getting the details in order can mean thousands more in a buyer’s offer.

I’ve written before about painting prospective buyers a picture of themselves living in your home.  If your prospective buyers walk into your home and can imagine their kids running down the hall, their families sitting at the dining room table, their pictures hanging on the walls, you’re more than halfway to a sale. 

But if your home smells funny, there are chips in the paint and cracks in the tile, or your yard is full of weeds, picturing themselves at home in your house may not be something your prospective buyers want to do.

For more on how to sell your home – for the most money in the shortest time – visit http://myphoenixmls.com/11-costly-mistakes.asp.