Preparing To Sell Your Okanagan Property

jane-field-vernon-realtor Many Sellers ask me about how best to prepare their house or condo for the marketplace. There are many things you, the Seller can do to make your property sell faster and at a higher price.

Let's start by viewing the front yard. Imagine you are a prospective Buyer driving by the For Sale sign your realtor has put up on your boulevard. The prospect slows down and sizes up your home. What will they think? What will make them wait to phone their realtor for an appointment to view? If they see a cared for lawn, carefully trimmed shrubs and flower beds, and absolutely no debris, they will be thinking the home has had reasonable care, which is what you want to communicate.

Also of importance is the condition of the front door. It should be in new condition so see that it's freshly painted and in excellent repair. Pressure clean the gutters. Paint the trim with a fresh trendy colour and repair window screens as necessary. Remove oil stains from the driveway. Put away bikes and toys. Clean out the carport. Be sure garbage cans are out of sight.

Inside your home the first thing to critique is the bathrooms and kitchen. Be sure any broken tiles are replaced and that the tile grout is in good repair. Check out your toilet seal. Be sure any dripping taps are repaired or replaced. Freshly caulk around the toilet, sinks, showers and tubs. Repair chipped sinks. Deep clean the kitchen sink with a top notch cleaner. Clean, scrub, deodorize, disinfect. Make everything shine. Remember the Buyer needs to see themselves as being comfortable living in those rooms. The cleaner they are, the better the Buyer feels. That makes a faster, easier sale.

Next, organize your storage areas and closets. Minimize your volume of stored items. This is the time to deliver your unused items to the appropriate charity. Neatly pack away the items you have decided you must keep. By doing this your closets and storage areas will better appear to be doing their job. If they are overfilled they look inadequate. That's not the way you want to present it to a Buyer.

Assess the walls and trim. Do they need repair, cleaning and paint? A new paint job can do wonders. Go over the paint colour choice with your realtor. Going with a coat of off white is no longer the way to go. Best you choose one of the “new neutral” shades.

Generally unclutter everything in all rooms. Put away clothes, minimize countertop items, excess wall decor and extra furnishings. It helps lend the appearance that the home has lots of space.

Bottom line is SIMPLIFY, STORE AND SANITIZE. Then call a good realtor. The rest is up to them.

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