Before you list....

If your house is not in perfect condition, what are some upgrades you did?

Re: Before you list....

Define "not perfect condition."

I wouldn't do anything major. A deep cleaning before an open house is a good idea. I painted my kitchen a neutral beige and reglazed my bathtub (the glaze was cracked and peeling). We depersonalized the house a bit. I put clothes/toys that we didn't need immediately into boxes.

Re: Before you list....

The only "upgrade" I did, if you can even call it that, is touched up the paint in some places. It actually made a significant difference even just to make the place seem fresher. Besides that, we really emptied out closets, etc., got down to the bare minimum and only kept things we actually needed. My house got an offer the day it was put on.

Before you list....

We didn't have a lot of big issues to deal with. We painted the living room, dining room, and hallway an off white color, we put in new carpet in the basement (tile was cracked and some carpet was fraying), and we put 70% of our stuff in a storage facility.

We just had our first open house yesterday and this morning we had 6 offers!

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we repainted a small bathroom, and that was it. I would not do any renovations or upgrades. You will not get that money back.

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Message edited 2/6/2017 9:44:23 AM.

Re: Before you list....

We're getting our house ready to list, possibly. Our house is basically move-in ready, everything in the house has been re-done and upgraded and it's all very neutral, clean, and nice. Makes our job a little easier.

That being said though, we are making sure to touch up any paint dings, we're doing a good deep cleaning of floors, walls, switches, doors and any other surfaces, and we'll eventually clear out some things.............mostly toys in the kids rooms. You want people to be able to picture themselves in your house so make sure furniture is arranged neatly and there isn't a ton of clutter and personal things everywhere.

Keep paint neutral, if you have a really bright or polarizing color in a room, consider painting over it. Take down the majority of your personal pics or knick-knacks. Clean up any rooms where you've created a "theme". For example, you might love roosters and think you're kitchen looks adorable covered in roosters but MANY buyers won't agree. Give them a space that is simple, clean, and not taste specific. If a buyer can't see through your stuff they will either low ball you or walk way.

Outside, don't go crazy (especially since it's winter and everything is dead and ugly) but spruce your outside up enough to give it some curb appeal. Paint your front door if it's ugly or banged up. Put a plant on your porch and put out a nice welcome mate. Clean up any dead branches, leaves, etc around the property. Just make the outside look welcoming. If someone pulls up and the house looks a like a dump on the outside, it won't even matter how nice it is on the inside, buyers will already be turned off.

Lastly, make sure everything works inside your house. Lights, drawers, appliances, water, etc. You don't want a buyer finding a million things wrong on the first walk through.

Good luck!

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Before you list....

I would declutter as much as possible and depending upon condition a fresh coat of paint does wonders

Before you list....

i would not worry about the front door. most people will forget all about it once they are inside (if everything inside is to their liking).

Re: Before you list....

It doesn't make sense to invest in any renovations or upgrades. The big 4 I always recommend are:

1) Cleaning;

2) Decluttering;

3) Neutralizing;

4) Repairing

By cleaning, it helps to really do a deep clean before showing. Clean makes the house more attractive to buyers (no matter how dated), and signifies that it has been well cared for and maintained.

Decluttering - Start packing now if you have to (always better to have some boxes in the basement or garage than to have rooms overflowing with clutter). Less is definitely more. If there's too much stuff around, it can make rooms look smaller and interrupt the flow. Also, too much "stuff" out in the open can signify lack of storage to a buyer (whether or not that's true). For that reason, I always recommend decluttering not only the open spaces, but things like kitchen cabinets and closets that the buyers will open. Well organized cabinets and thinned out closets are appealing.

3) Neutralizing - The house doesn't have to look like a model home where no one has ever lived, but it helps to try to make it generally appealing, so buyers can envision themselves living there. So while a few family photos are ok, you don't want to have an overwhelming amount around. If you have really taste specific art or a lot of religious items or unusual collectables, I recommend putting them away. You don't want anything distracting or offensive to buyers. If you have really crazy paint colors or a huge wall mural or something like that, it may be a good idea to repaint in a neutral color.

4) Repairing - Again, you want to give the impression that the house is well-maintained, and things like loose handrails, leaky faucets, missing outlet covers, etc. can give the impression of a neglected home. Even if it's just small items in disrepair, they can make a buyer questions what larger issues are lurking.

Also, if you have small rooms or odd shaped spaces, it may help to re-think furniture arrangement. One bonus I offer my seller clients is to have an interior designer/stager come in for a consultation and offer simple tips on the furniture arrangement and other quick fixes that don't cost $$ but can make a difference.

Before you list....

Thanks so much for all the great advice. Honestly, when I see what's out there my house is pretty nice lol. We are not "bold" decorators so our house is pretty neutral. We are starting to declutter now and will definitely hire a professional cleaning crew!

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Declutter declutter declutter!! Also, de-personalize your house as much as possible. I know it's annoying but it really works. My house sold in 3 days and I had 5 full price offers. We actually accepted an offer over asking. This was mid-October when the market was cooling off.