Buying or selling a home is a serious decision for everyone involved. In order for you to sell your home for as much and as quickly as possible there are a number of simple yet effective ways to go about it. You cant just put on the market and expect to sell it these days, unless your selling a student rental near the University of Western Ontario. Many people overlook the tiny flaws they have come to expect in their home, but to potential buyers these flaws are very noticeable and could stop a sale.
Cleaning: Both the inside and outside of your home no doubt bears many marks on it from being lived in, everyone's does. Potential home buyers have to see the home as their own, something other people dirt and grime can make difficult. Peeling paint should be sanded and repainted, mildew power-washed off siding and cement, damaged roofs repaired, put edger around gardens or sidewalk and cut your grass. The inside walls should be cleaned to remove fingerprints and make painting easier, if you still have extra paint it is worth mentioning. You should wash hard surfaces like counters, windows and light fixtures. Old flooring should be waxed or steam washed, renting a unit for a day can be done cheaply. If your bathroom is aging it is worth considering renovating as an old bathroom can be a huge deterrent to potential buyers.
Repairing: You should start at your front door and work your way through the house, repairing anything that is damaged, no matter how small it seems to you. Cracked windows, broken tiles, broken door knobs, stuck doors and missing cabinet handles can age your home in others eyes. If there are major issues with your house you cannot have fixed due to price or time concerns, have a contractor give an estimate and reduce your price to compensate.
Getting the right look: If you look through real estate magazines you will see that the homes share a few distinctive features designed to make them sell. Good lighting is an easy and effective way showcasing your home, replacing older light switches and light casings with newer ones can be an effective and cheap strategy, try to brighten your home and make sure all of your lights work. Clutter is the enemy when preparing for an open house, remember that people will try to visualize themselves living in your home, so personal choices like odd color paint, family pictures and personal items should be kept to a minimum. Smells should also be minimized, steam cleaning and painting can help but you should consider odor eliminators or even cooking before an open house to overpower lingering odors. You want to make your house seem as neutral as possible. A real Estate magazine is a cheap investment if you are looking for ideas and styles.