All Points Checklist For Selling Your Home

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SPRUCE UP THE YARD & EXTERIOR

1. PAINT: Few things will enhance the salability of a house quite so much as painting the outside. Before painting, scrape or water blast any blistered or peeling paint; repair gutters and down spouts and replace wood showing dry rot. Wood, trim work, gutters, and wrought iron should receive primary attention.

2. FRONT ENTRY: Give special care to this area. This is where buyers get their first opportunity to make a close inspection, and they will pick it apart looking for flaws, so eliminate them. All woodwork should be freshly and neatly painted, including the door if necessary. Replace a badly worn or broken doorbell button. Polish the door brass. Repaint or replace an unsightly mailbox. Put out a new or clean door mat. Do a thorough weeding and pruning job on any flower beds near the entry, and try to have some flowering plants growing.

3. YARD: Mow and trim the lawn. Weed flower beds; remove or replace dead plants or trees. Water regularly during the growing season. With desert landscaping, make sure that no underlying plastic is exposed, that rocks and sand are tidy, and that weeds and grass are removed.

4. DRIVEWAY, GARAGE/CARPORT: Clean up grease or oil spots; remove the soil at least, if not the stain. See that the garage door opens freely and that the automatic door opener is in good working order. If possible, don't park cars in front of the house or in the driveway, and try to have very few parked cars on the street near the house. Recreational vehicles or boats should be in the garage or carport or behind a fence in the back. Derelict cars or ones being overhauled, should not be visible from the street and preferably should not even be present.

5. FENCE: A few missing stakes or slats are real eyesores to buyers, yet are usually inexpensive and easy to fix. Repair, paint or stain as necessary.

6. ROOF: Remove visible debris or toys. Straighten the television antenna if necessary. Remove any tree branches bearing on the roof.

7. AIR CONDITIONERS/EVAPORATIVE COOLERS: Repaint or replace any rusted exposed metal. Correct improper draining.

8. PATIO: A nice spread of outdoor furniture looks very appealing. If necessary, borrow from a friend to enhance showability.

9. SWIMMING POOL: Adjust chemicals until the pool sparkles. Hose dust and cobwebs from filtration equipment. Store chemicals and tools neatly.

LOOK AT THE BASICS AROUND THE HOUSE

1. WINDOWS: Repair or replace torn or bent screens. As a last resort, remove them entirely; no screens are better than unsightly ones. Replace any cracked or broken panes. Also, notice foliage near windows. A window framed in ivy can give a warm, homey feeling, but cut it back if the foliage is restricting the light coming into the room. Drapery rods should be affixed firmly to walls and work smoothly; draperies should be reasonably clean and hang properly.

2. DOORS: Repair or replace doors with holes. One method of repair short of replacement is to cover a hole with a mirror or piece of paneling. Check to see that all doors open and close freely, including closet doors and patio or sliding glass doors. Oil any squeaky doors. Tighten the hardware, particularly doorknobs. And, while making this kind of adjustment, tighten hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets, too.

3. WALLS: As with the exterior, painting will pay dividends out of all proportion to the time and effort spent. Wallpaper should be clean and adhere smoothly to walls. Patch all major holes in wallboard and plaster. Loose handrails on stairway should be secured to walls. Clean or paint air-vent covers.

4. FLOORS: Repair or replace missing or damaged pieces of tile; polish if needed. Repair of a loose stair tread-plate or loose carpeting on a stairway is a top priority.

5. CARPETS: Steam-cleaning is the best answer for soiled carpet; shampooing seldom does the job where show ability is concerned. If pet odors are present, be sure to clean the carpet some time before the home is placed on the market to be sure the odors have been eliminated. Loose carpet should be anchored properly.

CHECK MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL FEATURES

1. LIGHTS: Every light socket in and around the house should have a good bulb of adequate wattage. Don't overlook those outside; in the garage; utility room, halls, closets, or over the kitchen sink; and in the oven and exhaust hood.

2. SWITCHES AND FIXTURES: Repair or replace wall switches, outlets, and light fixtures that don't work, replace any broken switch plates. Note: If you are not fully competent to handle these repairs, call in a professional.

3. APPLIANCES: Those that will be sold with the home should be in good working order. If specific equipment does not work and you do not intend to repair it, point this out.

4. PLUMBING: Badly chipped or irreversibly stained sinks and tubs should be re-enameled, patched, or replaced. Leaky or excessively noisy toilets should be fixed, as well as any dripping faucets.

5. SPRINKLER SYSTEMS: These should be working properly with no defective heads.

ARRANGE FOR A SPACIOUS LOOK

1. CLOSETS & STORAGE AREAS: One of the most frequently voiced requirements of buyers is for closet and storage space. Open up your storage areas by getting rid of items you aren't using.

2. COUNTERS & CABINETS: The same principle applies here: Over crowding gives the impression of inadequacy. This applies to bathrooms and kitchens, with the kitchen being most important. Store infrequently used counter-top appliances. Do some prudent discarding in cabinets.

3. GARAGE: Buyers will pay a premium for a garage if they can visualize it being of value to them, but it's hard to sell the virtues of a garage when it is filled to overflowing. If your garage has become a two-car attic, move the excess to a mini warehouse for the duration.

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