Sell Your Home With These Quick, Cheap Fixes

Posted by Hal James on June 29th, 2008 filed in Real Estate

The good times of the real estate market earlier this decade have been followed up by very bad times. You are going to face a lot of competition if you want to sell your home. The following tips can help and they won’t cost you a bundle.

Many homeowners forget about the sense of smell when listing their home. If your home has a smoker in residence, buyers will notice. Clean the walls with ammonia and have a go at the carpets with a steam cleaner rental.

There are certain signs that tell buyers whether a house is well cared for or not. One is faucets. Clean them. Make absolutely sure there are no drips. If they do not turn on and off without problem, replace the washers or entire faucet.

They say the eyes are the path to the soul of a person. In a home, the same is true for baseboards. They tell a story. If yours are beaten up, they tell a scary tale to a potential buyer. Replace and paint as necessary.

Walls are a flat single color surface. This makes them a natural target and they get beat up over the years. If yours are dinged up, fix them. Cracks should be repaired. Make sure the paint blends naturally with the rest of the wall.

It always amazes me when people spend big dollars on beautiful doors and windows, but then go cheap on screens. Screens are cheap and easy to replace. If yours are beaten up, bent, have holes or rusty, change them out.

First impressions count. Give your front door the evil eye to see if it measures up. If it is a bit plain, consider painting it. If you are going to spend some money, a new front door is the place to do it.

And then there is sweat equity. Yep, landscaping. You might have a thing for the jungle look, but most potential buyers will not. Cut back the jungle. Cut the grass. Edge the pathways. Plant some flowers. Just have at it.

Neither buyers nor sellers know much about roofs. Still, both know that broken shingles are bad news. If you have them, get the fixed. In fact, pay a roofer a small fee to have the entire roof inspected.

Although the current real estate market is slow, it is not dead. There are buyers. Homes are selling. The key is to moving your home is in the details. Buyers have lots to choose from so don’t give them a reason to walk away from yours.