Getting your home ready to sell!!

The average home buyer has run into this scenario at least once. You show up at a property for sale, and it looks like a wreck. The kitchen is dirty. The living room is a mess. This decreases the odds you extend an offer on what seemed like your dream home. If you do make an offer, the deteriorated appearance of the property results in a lower price tag. The average hit for this bad first impression by Red Deer home buyers is around 20,000 dollars.  

For home sellers, knowing this could be the motivation they need to put in some elbow grease and deep clean their property. And they’ll understand that they’re earning a decent return on the effort to keep the home presentable. But what can you do to maintain your home while you’re selling it? And what can you do to make your home stand out relative to the competition?  

1. Winter is messy, so minimize the potential mess. Have people take their shoes off when they come inside. Put welcome mats outside the door and rugs on the inside to contain dirt and debris.  

1. Clean up the outside of your home. Pick up toys in the front yard. Remove cobwebs around the front door. Sweep the porch and sidewalk. Cover the pool if it wasn’t already since you obviously won’t want to be cleaning it this time of year.   
2. Make your gardens look great. Trim the trees, and tidy the garden. Put away the garden tools when you’re done. 
3. Reflect the colors of the season in your Red Deer home. It doesn’t have to be all white and gray, but it shouldn’t be all red and green, either. Use a mix of red, gray, green, brown, and beige. This can be reflected in your bed covers, throw pillows, rugs and decorations.  
4. If you want to make your home more inviting than the other open houses, consider the smell that greets visitors. Obviously, this means the house needs to be free of bad odors, so vacuum the floors and make sure the pets don’t live a lingering scent. However, you’ll stand out if your home reflects the scents of the season. These are peppermint, cinnamon, and ginger. You can create these scents with candles, air fresheners, or the right baked goods. An added bonus would be seasonal fruit in a bowl on the table or in the entryway.  
5. Make sure everything works. There shouldn’t be any dead light bulbs in your home. Your furnace should be working and do so without funny noises or smells. Homebuyers will triple check the furnace in the winter because of its greater importance that time of year.  
6. Lighten up! Winters are dark and dreary. This is why a light and airy home stands out. Turn on all the lights when the home buyers will be coming by. Open up the windows to show off your home’s views.  

Your home is your most valuable asset. Treat it accordingly, so that Red Deer home buyers will value it as much as you do.