Preparing Your Home for Sale

Spokane is enjoying a booming real estate market.

It is easy, in the midst of a seller's market like this one, to ignore basic rules for preparing your home for sale. If you don't clean your home or make basic repairs to the property now, you will probably find yourself scrambling to do so during escrow.

Why wait?

Here are some recommendations for preparing your home for the listing and showing process.

• Start by airing out the home. Most people are turned off by even the slightest odor. Odors must be eliminated, especially those caused by dogs and cats and/or cigarettes. Odor is a common complaint by buyers and a real turn-off.


• Wash all the windows in the home, inside and out.
  
• If it has been over a year since the carpets have been cleaned, now is the time to have them cleaned. Bare floors should also be waxed or polished.
  
• Put bright light bulbs in every socket made for a bulb. Buyers like bright & cheery.
  
• Clean out closets, cabinets and drawers. Closets should look like they have enough room to hold additional items. Get everything off the floor and don’t have the shelves piled to the ceiling.
  
• Make sure rooms are not overcrowded with furniture. Select pieces that look best, and store the rest.
  
• Keep the kitchen sparkling clean. Make sure all appliances are clean at all times. Straighten cupboards that appear cluttered and keep floors gleaming.
  
• Bathtubs, showers and sinks should be freshly caulked. The grout should be clean and in good condition. There should be no leaks in the faucet or traps.

Curb appeal? It matters. It really does.

Trim trees and shrubs, clean out flower beds, (perhaps invest in a few flats of seasonal flowers), paint the front door, make sure doorbell is working properly, wash the mailbox, keep the porch swept and the area free of cobwebs.

In general: Consider fresh paint, professional cleaning, lawn maintenance--whatever the particular weakness of your home, address it! We'll help you. Contact us for a full listing packet, which includes more tips and a checklist.

The market does change, but our commitment and spirit of service does not. Contact us.