The Exterior
Kansas Real Estate Agents understand the importance of “curb appeal”. To beautify the exterior of the home, they focus on the driveway, entranceway, landscaping and front door.
1. The front lawn and shrubs are manicured. Gardens are mulched. Trees and shrubs are trimmed.
2. The lawn is edged and bare spots are filled in with like grass.
3. All clutter is removed from front yard.
4. Leaves and twigs are picked up.
5. Cracks in the driveway and walk leading to front door are repaired.
6. Gutters and downspouts are cleared, in good working order and are properly draining away from the home.
7. Chipped paint on windows and doors is removed and fresh paint is added.
8. The exterior of the home is painted a neutral color if needed.
9. The mailbox is replaced, if needed.
The Interior
Kansas Real Estate Agents don't just stop on the exterior. They want the inside to be appealing to buyers. First impressions are very important. Many times you will not get a second chance. Remember, Kansas Real Estate Agents communicate to other agents about their showings. They tell other agents the homes that showed bad. They also tell other agents the homes that showed GREAT! Wouldn't you want the word on the street that your home showed GREAT? Here is the items that a Kansas Real Estate Agent would do to the interior of their home.
10. Walls are cleaned so there are NO smudge marks. If the paint is dingy, the walls MUST be painted. Paint the home a neutral color.
11 Carpets are cleaned. If they are old and worn or not a neutral color, they are replaced.
12. The windows are thoroughly cleaned. Buyers like to look outside the windows. The windows and screen doors easily open and close and are in good shape. Window treatments are repaired or replaced.
13. All clutter is removed. Be organized. Limit the pictures to just a couple per room or hallway. It will distract from the home if you have thousands of pictures in one room or hallway.
14. All clothes are placed in the drawers or neatly in closets.
15. The kitchen and bathrooms are thoroughly cleaned. The cabinets, counters and appliances are thoroughly spotless. All clutter is removed. Dishes and glasses are neatly stacked in the cupboards. There are NEVER any dirty dishes in the sink or on the counter. Be organized. Items around sinks are removed and under the cabinets. Kitchens and bathrooms are and hot selling area. Apply Old English to the stained cabinets. Freshen up painted cabinets.
16. The closets are reorganized so they appear larger. Some clothes are removed if necessary. Store out of season clothes in storage areas.
17. Furniture is removed and either put in the basement or into storage. This makes the home appear much larger. You NEVER want to make it difficult to walk through all the rooms in the house . . . clear the pathways! Remove furniture from the center of the room. Make rooms look bigger. Remove items on the walls from above eye level. This will make the room appear larger.
18. Electrical and plumbing are in working order. Repair the drippy faucets.
19. Broken appliances are fixed and noisy ceiling fans replaced.
20. Repair items in the home that need repairing and the garage door works perfectly.
21. Curtains are always opened, windows shades always up and lights always on (including lamps, hallway lights, etc) when the home is being shown (even during the day). The combination of sunlight and artificial light helps make the home appear larger and open.
22. A fresh scent is always used to appeal to buyer’s senses. Vanilla is one of the most frequently used scents in builder’s model homes. You can buy vanilla air fresheners that fit directly on your air filter (available at Home Depot). Cinnamon is great to use in the fall and winter. Watch out for lighting candles. Unattended candles can start a fire. Blowing out the candles before buyers arrive will leave a burnt or smoky smell.
23. Pet odors are always eliminated!
24. Soft jazz or classical music is always playing on the stereo when buyers come through.
Many sellers think the more fix-up work they do, the higher the price they will get. That’s not true. I would recommend getting an inspector referral from a Kansas Real Estate Agent and doing a home inspection on your home. Immediately after the inspection I would review the inspection with your Kansas Real Estate Agent. Make repairs that make sense on doing that will increase marketability of your home. Doing the repairs will not increase the sales price.
We hope this special report was informative. As your local real estate professionals, we are available to answer any questions you have about making your home “pristine and perfect” prior to putting it on the market. You can call us at any time for advice, and please remember that you are under no obligation or pressure of any kind. We would very much like to help you. |