Browse > Home / Housing / Sell your home; make it appealing to buyers

Sell your home; make it appealing to buyers

September 24, 2008

I was reading Gather Little By Little, a personal finance blog, this morning. The blogger, known as Gibble, is trying to sell him home. He wrote about the repairs they made to their home based on comments from prospective buyers and real estate agents who toured the home.

Everyone knows it’s a buyers market, and many sellers are having a tough time.

As someone who just purchased a home for the first time, I’d like to offer some tips to anyone who may be selling a home. These are just some thoughts from the perspective of a buyer. Some things cost some money, and some don’t cost a thing.

Clean up your clutter. It is hard to really see what a home looks like when it’s buried under mounds of knick knacks, photos, dishes, clothing, etc. Plus, it makes a perspective buyer wonder what’s hiding underneath all of that stuff. It doesn’t cost a thing to box some stuff up, put away some dishes and pick the dirty clothes up off the floor.

After you clean the clutter, clean the house. Run the vacuum cleaner, dust, spruce it up a little. And if you have pets, sprinkle a little carpet deodorizer around and hide the litter box. Pet smells are especially off-putting to buyers.

Rearrange your furniture. Look for ways to place your furniture that might make the rooms look a little more spacious.

Fresh paint is great. If it’s been awhile since you’ve put a fresh coat of paint on your walls — or if you have a room that is painted in colors that are unusual or suited to your individual taste — repaint in neutral colors. A gallon of paint goes a long way and is a fairly inexpensive way to please buyers.

About those carpets … If your carpets are old and dirty, clean or replace them. Replacing carpeting can be an expensive venture. If that’s not in your budget, consider renting a rug scrubber. They are easy to use, cost less than a professional cleaning service, but can really help out dirty carpets and rugs.

Try for curb appeal. Sweep the porch. Mow the lawn. Pull any weeds from the shrubbery.

Of course there are expensive things one can to do make their house more appealing to buyers, but many people can’t afford to reside their home or put on a new roof.

But, there are some simple, cost effective ways to increase your home’s appeal for potential buyers.

Please feel free to share any thoughts, tips or suggestions you have to help someone make their home more appealing to buyers.

Written by admin · Filed Under Housing 

Comments

Terms of Service
1. All comments are subject to review by Advantage Credit Counseling Service prior to their publication on this site. Advantage CCS reserves the right to decline publication to any post it deems in violation of the Terms of Service.
2. No potentially libelous or damaging statements will be posted. This includes negative and / or unsubstantiated allegations against Advantage CCS and its competitors.
3. No comments including obscene, explicit or racist language will be posted.
4. Comments containing personal attacks, insults or threats will not be posted.
5. Comments not related to matters of personal finance, budgeting, credit counseling, housing counseling, bankruptcy and other related financial issues will not be posted.
6. Anyone who posts using another person’s identity will be barred from posting in the future.