Real Estate Beyond Four Walls

You've decided to place your Maplewood home on the market.  Before you begin showing it to the public, however, there are a few things you should do first to get your home ready to sell.  Making sure your home is in tip-top shape before potential buyers see it will help increase your home's value and can have a huge impact on how long your home stays on the New Jersey real estate market. First and foremost, do a deep cleaning.  Most homeowners do a general pickup throughout the day and/or week.  But THEY aren't trying to sell their Maplewood home.  Home buyers look at everything...and I do mean EVERYTHING.  Wipe down walls, crown molding and baseboards.  Move your refrigerator, dishwasher and oven to get to the dirt and grime buildup behind and underneath.  Scrub the backsplash as well as the hood above your stove where grease can spatter.  Wash the windows both inside and out until they are gleaming.  Clean up any wall smudges.  Wipe down the outside of your cabinets and appliances where greasy fingers leave their imprint.  Spring cleaning is good anytime of year when you are trying to get your Maplewood home ready to sell! Get rid of any clutter (knick-knacks, personal photos, collections of any sort, extra books).  You want to keep kitchen countertops, bathroom space, living room bookshelves and bedroom furniture clear of clutter.  Whatever you don't use on a daily basis should be packed up and stored neatly away, preferably at a storage facility if that is in your budget.  Remember that you are going to have to pack these items up when you get ready to move anyway.  Doing it now makes your Maplewood home seem larger, brighter and cleaner AND it reduces how much you have to pack up later.  If you can't afford a storage facility, stack these boxes neatly in the attic or garage.  Buyers are going to look there, too.  You want your home to look model perfect when buyers look through them.  Get a home inspection.  They're not just for home buyers anymore.  A professional inspection will show you what issues need to be addressed immediately.  Home buyers tend to double the actual cost to make repairs.  In turn, they will offer much less for your Maplewood home.  You can usually fix these issues easily and for much less, which makes your home more attractive to a buyer.  This cuts down on your home's time on the market as well as increases what a buyer considers your home to be worth at the negotiations table. Finally, now is the time to make those minor repairs you have been putting off.  The creaky door should be oiled.  The broken lock on the gate needs to be fixed.  Replace or repair torn window screens.  Loose railings should be tightened.  Your doorbell definitely needs to be in working order.  These may seem like minor things to you but they make a buyer wonder what larger issues haven't been taken care of, which can affect their offer price. Getting your home ready to sell doesn't necessarily mean breaking the bank.  Sometimes, just a little elbow grease and careful planning can turn your Maplewood home into a real showpiece.  Please contact me if you're considering selling your home soon.  I'd love to work with you. Francine Lichtman, Real Estate Beyond Four Walls, New Jersey Homes Originally posted on my Real Estate Beyond Four Walls blog here: http://maplewoodishome.com/2012/01/get-your-home-ready-to-sell/.