Easy To Do's

• Clean. No, REALLY CLEAN! The kind of clean you do before your future in-laws are coming to dinner… or your boss is stopping for a BBQ… or the president is stopping for a quick chat. Oh yeah… this is the kind of cleaning that you only dream about (typically with someone else in the role of cleaner!). This means scrubbing everything… walls, light fixtures, light switches, cabinetry, doors (inside and outside) door frames, floors, bathtub, fridge, stove, microwave. Yep – I put the appliances in there – whether or not you are selling them with the house, people snoop… and if the surfaces are clean but they find those filthy, the assumption is that you didn’t really take care of the house long term.
  

• Eliminate piles. We all have them – by the front door, corner of a kitchen counter, center of table, next to the recliner, on the bottom step. Whatever you have to do with them – get rid of them. If they are truly important… now is the time to deal with them now (one less thing to move!). If they are not important then either toss/donate or at the least put them in a box and store them until your move. Now is the time to be ruthless – even if you KNOW that you really are going to make separate photo albums for all 29 of your nieces and nephews, will you have time in the midst of your home change to do them now?
  

• De-clutter. I have seen nothing on the internet, on TV or in your favorite magazine that is talked about more! For home sales de-cluttering lets potential buyers spend less time checking out your personal tastes – and more time checking out your HOUSE! (That is the idea isn’t it?) If you go through an average room and box up the clutter – knick knacks, collections, or just half of any given display space – you’ll be able to feel the weight in the room disappear. What you will be left with is the feeling of openness and spaciousness – of the house!
  

• Make a welcoming entry. I’ll be the first to tell you that this is important no matter what your situation, but that this is especially tricky if you have children! If your family uses the main entry to the house – be especially vigilant in this area! Take a critical look at the volume of “stuff” you have both immediately outside and inside the door. If they are greeted with a small mountain of scooters, sidewalk chalk, butterfly nets (summer) or two shovels, a bucket of ice melt, and three sleds (winter) outside then that is what they are gong to see. As they are waiting for the realtor to open the door they are not looking at your pretty patio bench, clean freshly painted door or landscaping… they are thinking that this house has NOWHERE for their “stuff” to be stored. Ditto when you come in the door… Fifteen pairs of shoes and boots, coats, hats, gloves, bookbags, etc. at the door create too many “visual” obstacles. This leaves the potential buyer feeling overwhelmed instead of happily optimistic!