Preparing to list your property for sale - By Kevin Ronan

You have finally decided to sell your home full of so many memories! As you prepare to list your house there will be some challenging decisions ahead prompting the question, “Where do I get started?” Although the preparation can be extensive, time consuming and emotional, the results can be financially rewarding.  Here is a list of activities to consider when preparing to show your property to prospective buyers.  So let’s get started!

What can you do to highlight your home’s strengths? The staging of your home for sale is a very important activity.  The first challenge involves decluttering the interior living space. It has been proven that a room filled with clutter makes the room seem smaller.

Remove any unnecessary appliances, books, boxes and children or pet toys from the floors, tables and countertops. While you are staging consider organizing bedroom closets and the kitchen cabinets. You can be certain buyers will be opening closet and cabinet doors.  Storage space is a huge selling point so let’s make sure these areas are ready to be viewed.  

The furniture should fit the room so get rid of any extra furniture or oversized items. Remove any family photos from walls, the refrigerator and other surfaces. Why do we need to do this? Seeing the seller’s family photographs or memorabilia makes it more difficult for buyers to imagine the home with their own furnishings and decor.

When was the last time the walls were painted? Repaint the rooms in neutral tones such as whites or beiges. This will allow buyers to focus on the rooms themselves, not the color of the walls. If you cannot paint all the rooms you may want to consider removing all wallpaper and painting just the high traffic areas such as a hallway, bathroom, family room or kitchen. 

How is the home curb appeal?  What is the first impression a perspective buyer has when they drive into your driveway?  There are some very simple and inexpensive projects that will improve a buyer’s first impression.  

Some seasonal flowers near the front entrance will add a splash of color to the front of your home. This time of year we are very fortunate to have locally grown, brightly colored mums and pumpkins available to help improve your curb appeal. Keep your lawn freshly cut. Other outside activities could include weeding the flowerbeds, and trimming the shrubs. Consider adding a cheerful wreath on the front door.  

Why not bring the outdoors into your home? Potted plants or cut flowers in a vase can bring some life to a space. They can also be used to draw attention to features you want buyers to notice such as a fireplace or a window seat and be helpful for just filling any empty corner. Finally, remove anything in the driveway, stairs or around the garage, which may impede buyers from walking around the property or create a safety hazard.

These simple and low cost home improvements will help enhance the property’s appearance to potential buyers, increase the volume of buyer traffic and help increase the sale price of your home.

Kevin Ronan is a Real Estate Agent affiliated with Foundations Real Estate. He lives in Gray with his wife Lori and two Labrador retrievers.  He can be contacted at columnist@TheWindhamEagle.com.