Three Essential Strategies And A Home-Sale Checklist

In any real estate market, whether it's hot, slow or mediocre, the #1 factor that sells a home is price. Beyond that, three key variables will help entice buyers to walk into your home and offer a contract.

• Curb appeal. Even if priced right, sometimes a house will linger on the market because it makes a bad impression from the street. Keep in mind, buyers want to move into a "new home." Although previously lived in, a resale property becomes the buyers' "new" home, reflecting their image to friends, family and neighbors. Show them something they can picture themselves in, something they'll want to investigate further
• Condition. The inside of your home should look clean, smell fresh and work the way it's supposed to. You don't want potential buyers picturing how much work your home will require of them
• The Deal. If your home is priced properly but not selling, consider offering incentives. Instead of dropping the price $10,000, figure out how many months' payments that $10,000 would make and offer to let full-price buyers "live in the home free for 8 months!" In essence, you're marketing the deal instead of the house-a strategy that may work better than a price reduction!

Pay attention to the following areas to fully maximize your home's attractiveness to buyers:

Landscaping

• __ Lawn (healthy, weed free?)
• __ Shrubs trimmed
• __ Trees (old limbs removed, trimmed back from windows)
• __ Check driveway for cracks, appearance and damage
• __ Remove clutter (bikes, toys, tools, lawnmower, etc.)

Entranceway

• __ New welcome mat
• __ Freshly painted door
• __ Reduce clutter from front closet
• __ Clean or replace entrance rug

Home Exterior

• __ Trim and moldings: need paint?
• __ Check gutters and downspouts for leaks, dents
• __ Dents in siding?
• __ Storm windows free from defects?
• __ Repaint or repair fences as needed

Interior

• __ Repaint all wood surfaces, including molding and trim
• __ Repaint all walls with more neutral colors
• __ Replace wall and socket plates where necessary
• __ Thoroughly clean all flooring, replace carpet if necessary
• __ Scrub tile and bleach grout in bathrooms and kitchen
• __ Check all appliances for proper operation and cleanliness

Closets

• __ Don't use closets as a place to store all the junk!
• __ Move items you want to hide into the attic or a storage unit
• __ Clear out closets to show their size
• __ Check sliding or folding doors, repair or replace them if necessary

Bathrooms

• __ Attack all mildew
• __ Re-caulk if necessary
• __ Replace all light bulbs with brighter bulbs
• __ Use coordinated towels for decoration.
• __ Replace old toilet seats
• __ Clean out the medicine cabinet and replace it if needed
• __ Replace shower or window curtains