55 Tips for

Sprucing Up Your Home

When It's Time

To Sell

Have you been considering selling your home in the near future? If you have, then it wouldnt be a bad idea to take a good long look at your home, using an unbiased eye.

After all, a clean, appealing, well maintained home has much better odds of selling, selling for more, and selling faster.

When looking at your house, the thing you need to keep repeating to yourself is that first impressions are lasting impressions. This couldnt be truer when it comes to selling real estate.

However, this doesnt mean that you should take on a major renovation project just so that you can sell your property. Remember, there are no guarantees that you would recover the costs of an enormous overhaul.

Instead, take a more conservative approach, and have a look at the different cosmetic improvements that can be made for an overall improvement. These can include things such as cleaning, painting, refinishing, and other such efforts. These are the projects that dont require all that much capital, and yet they make an immeasurable improvement to the overall look of your home.

Before you take on any fix-up-for-sale projects, take on the mindset that you are sprucing up your home in order to sell it. Dont think of it as fixing it up for someone else. Youre trying to create more of an appealing look than you are a perfect home.

If you fix up the house with a certain person in mind, youre limiting your market. Limiting your market will usually mean a slower sale, and a lower selling price.

So instead of tackling a whole mess of huge projects, just focus on making the home attractive, clean, presentable, and well maintained. Let the new owners do their own customizations.

This guide will take you all around your property and let you know the very things that you can do to get the most out of your sale, without having to dump huge amounts of time, money, and energy into repairs.

There isnt a realtor in existence who wouldnt tell you that one of the most important terms that you can learn when youre trying to sell your house, is curb appeal.

Therefore, while youre sprucing up your home, its wise to start outside, and work your way in. Begin by a good walk around the grounds to give yourself an idea of what youre up against, and then use these tips as a sort of checklist to get yourself on the right track.

 If you take the effort to ensure that the outside of your home is appealing, then it will make certain that potential buyers will want to look at the interior as well. Therefore, its obvious that you should work on the outside of your home for precisely that reason.

So lets get started with the tips

Tip #1 Tidy Up Outside

Take the time to walk around your property wearing good thick gloves, and carrying a garbage bag. Pick up every bit of refuse, yard waste, and other unsightly things, and throw them away. When the garbage is gone, then do another lap and remove all of the clutter outside. This can include things such as:

H    Kids toys

H    Yard care tools (wheelbarrows, lawn mowers, weeding tools, garden hoses, etc.)

H    Tools

H    Bicycles

Depending on how you usually keep your property, this one effort can make a staggering difference to the outer appearance of your home.

Tip #2 Trim Shrubbery

Shrubbery and other greenery that has an unkempt appearance can often be misconstrued as a sign of neglect, and gives a bad impression of your house overall. Prospective homebuyers who see shrubbery that has not been well maintained may not even be aware of their observation, but it will have an impact on the way they view your property as a whole.

If they do observe the unkempt shrubbery directly, they may make the assumption that the rest of the home has not been properly maintained.

Keep bushes and shrubs neat, and well-shaped, to give the overall impression that the entire property has been well cared for.

For that added touch, try to keep the shrubbery in line with the other greenery and outdoor decorations that you have on your property. This will be even more eye-pleasing from the street level, creating more interest.

Should the size of your shrubbery be such that it makes walking up to your home a challenge, you should consider taking them out. Shrubbery that is too large not only makes the home appear much smaller, but it also creates a hazard where safety is concerned.

This may also make prospective buyers think of it as a hindrance because theyll think of it as something that will need to be taken care of; this even before theyve even entered your home.

Its a very inexpensive task that you can do yourself, and it shouldnt take more than a couple of hours of your time to get done. If you dont have the time, the ability, or the inclination to trim the shrubbery, dont just let it go. This can only risk losing a lot of time and money in the long run.

Instead, consider hiring a professional. This will cost approximately $35 to $45 per hour, but it will be well worth the small investment in the end.

With a bit of luck, youll only need to do it once before your home is sold a one time effort that will go a very long way.

 Flowers, especially bright flowers, can liven up the exterior of your home very inexpensively and easily. They neednt be expensive or exotic. Even the cheapest, easy-care, low maintenance flowers will do just fine, such as:

H    petunias,

H    marigolds,

H    sweet alyssum,

H    zinnias,

H    And bachelors buttons.

Your local garden center will be able to help you make the best choice for your location and purpose. Remember that annuals are cheaper than perennials, so theyll suit your purpose perfectly. Keep in mind also that mixing bright colors like pink and yellow give a much happier appearance to the home than darker purples.

Flowers are an especially nice touch under windows, on porches, and in flower beds. They create a special level of warmth and depth, making your property appears cared for as well as enjoyed.

 A property that has a well manicured lawn has one of the best chances at showing pride in ownership than any other outdoor technique.

For one thing, there is a large upswing in the priority that homeowners place in their outdoor living spaces.

Therefore, the landscaping of your front yard (especially) as well as that of your back yard should look its very best when its selling time. Your landscaping will make a huge contribution to the resale value of your home, so make sure that its doing its best to help you out.

In fact, studies have shown that when the landscaping of a home is in excellent condition, it can sell for about 4 to 5 percent higher, while homes with landscaping in very poor condition can sell for 8 to 10 percent less. Thats a huge difference in the overall selling price of your home.

You might be wondering exactly how much time you should dedicate to sprucing up the landscape of your property. How much time and money is worth it for your sale?

Even if you put a minimal amount of money, effort, and time in to your landscaping, it will help you in selling your home, and perhaps even getting a boost in the selling price. Every effort you make will help.

However, dont overdo it. Remember that its not a selling feature; its only something to help the overall appeal of your property, so that the other selling features will be better appreciated.

You should keep your lawn mowed so that it is even, and neatly short. Keep it well weeded, as these will only appear as blemishes to your landscaping. Make sure to use a weed eater to do the edges, as this gives your work a superior finish touch.

If there are any bald patches in your lawn, buy a small bag of seed and care for the spot, filling it in. This is especially important if you have a dog who digs or who leaves pet damage where s/he does his or her business.

After you fill in the dead spots that your dog has left, make sure to water the areas after your dog waters, to prevent new dead patches from forming. Watering the areas will dilute the urine to stop it from burning the grass.

This effort makes an immeasurable difference in the overall neatness of the house, and the impression that it will leave potential buyers.

 After taking a beating from the elements, and having worn from time, porch railings have been known to become wobbly. This is a safety hazard, to say the least, but its also very unattractive.

Railings that are loose can damage the steps to which theyre attached. This can only mean a higher cost for repairs that are made, in order to ensure that the steps are safe.

If your railing is a bit loose, have a good look at it. Many times all that is required is a tightening of bolts, and the railing is as good as new.

The majority of porch railings are attached with lag bolts; these are large screws with a head that looks like a bolt. Should these become loose, all you need is an adjustable wrench to tighten them (turning them clockwiseremember: leftie = loosie and rightie = tightie).

At times, if the railings have been screwed into the brick of your home, the sheath may have broken or worn down. If this happens to your railing, you need to replace the sheath. Dont worry; this is neither expensive nor costly. You can buy them at any hardware store.

When you remove the screws and sheaths to replace them, the railing will come off, so be sure youre ready to support it and then put it somewhere. Youll need a screwdriver and about twenty minutes to accomplish this task.

Once the new sheath is in place, just screw the railing back on. Make sure to test the railing for security when you get it on again.

If you are extremely challenged in the home-repair department, or if you simply dont have a moment to spare, you can always hire a professional to do the job. Theyll cost anywhere from $40 to $100 per hour to do the job.

 Maintain Shutters

Shutters can be a charming touch to any home. When theyre well maintained and in good shape, they can add a warm, comforting touch to brick, stone, or just about any other finish.

However, if theyre not well maintained, and are in bad shape, they are one of the fastest ways to make your home appear to be neglected; especially to prospective buyers.

Fortunately, they dont take a lot of skill or time to repair if theyre looking a little bit rough. When it comes to the majority of shutters, a quick sanding and one or two coats of exterior house paint can make your shutters look as good as if they were new.

Though it might take a little bit of extra time, its wise to remove the shutters from the house before you start sanding and painting them. You can make an excellent work table out of an old plank or door set up on two sawhorses.

Clean the shutters of any dirt with a clean rag, then give them a light sanding. Wipe them again, to remove the dust from sanding. Now theyre ready to be painted.

You can either spray paint them, or brush on the paint; either will give a nice end result. They will need either one or two coats, depending on your preference, and the appearance you want to attain. Make sure that theyve been allowed to dry fully before you reattach them to your home.

 A large number of houses are made out of brick, with small amounts of wooden trim. These wooden touches are usually located on porches and small areas on the ends of your home.

As time passes, these wood places have a tendency to become worn, with cracked and dull looking paint.

Give your wooden accents a touch up of paint and the entire exterior of your home will have a fresh new look.

Depending on how much wooden trim you have, once you purchase the right amount of exterior paint, it shouldnt take you more than two or three hours to finish this task.

Occasionally, you may need to sand the area before you can paint it. Sanding helps the new paint cure much better than if youd applied it directly onto the old paint especially if the previous coat had a cracked surface.

A palm sander is the ideal solution to getting this part of the project done quickly and easily.

Beyond the wooden points, have a look at the paint on the downspout, gutters, and anywhere else that has paint. None of these should be cracked, faded or peeling. If they are: repaint.

 Though this may seem like a rather silly little task, it will make all the difference when it comes to selling your home. This isnt because potential buyers want to see clear numbers before they purchase your home its because they need to be able to find your home if they want to find out more about it, or have a look.

If a prospective buyer cant find your home due to a lack of visible house numbers, all of your other efforts to create lovely curb appeal may have been in vain.

If your house number is carved into the exterior surface of the building, be certain that it can still be seen from the street. If they are a struggle to see, and they are recessed into the brick or stone, simply paint the numbers a crisp, clean color, so that they will stand out.

A simple technique for completing this task quickly and easily is by using a cotton swab which has been dipped into paint. Carefully apply this into the engraved numbers. Youll be surprised at what a professional result you can achieve.

House numbers that have been mounted onto the house, such as over the garage, should also be visible from the street. Make sure theyre in good condition, and still match your home. Perhaps the house has gone through some changes since the numbers went up, and now theyre not quite so stylish anymore.

If the house numbers are rusty, if they have pieces missing, or if a number altogether is gone, its a good idea to paint or replace them.

They are readily available at hardware stores and home building centers, and you can obtain some pleasant looking ones inexpensively. It will make all the difference to your prospective buyers.

The same goes for numbers that are located on mailboxes. If they are incomplete, torn, or otherwise unattractive, simply replace them or stencil new ones onto the mailbox.

This makes your home easier to find, more inviting, and gives an impression that your home has been well cared for.

Beautify the Front Entrance

The front entrance, including the front door, the porch, and the windows nearby, are the gateway from the outside to the inside.

Since there will be a moment while the prospective clients or the real estate agent knock on the door, or open it, there will be a moment where they pause right in the entry, and will likely get a very close-up, very detailed impression of your home.

These are also an important focal point when it comes to curb appeal, so be certain that theyre in tip-top shape. This is where the future owners, as well as all of their guests will enter their new home. It will be important to the eye and to the heart.

The door itself must look sharp. If needed, a fresh coat of paint can make all the difference to a pleasant, inviting, and well-maintained home.

Be certain that the hardware such as the doorknob, the latch, the hinges, etc are all freshly painted or polished. It gives an extra level of overall attractiveness.

Other useful steps to improve the entryway include:

H    A freshly painted/replaced mailbox

H    Bright, functioning porch lights

H    A new (un-tattered) welcome mat

If you have a doorbell, make sure that it is working, or remove it altogether. As with the front light, one of the things that can create the worst impression for your home is to have basic elements not functioning properly. This will make the prospective buyer wonder what else has not been your top priority for maintenance.

 After the entrance improvements have been made, have a look at the overall building.

H    Is the siding clean?

H    Are the windows clean?

H    Are the gutters clean from the outside?

H    Are corners and indents free of spider webs and vines?

H    Is the walkway clean enough that it has a defined edge, and doesnt have mud or other dirt creeping over the sides or across the middle?

H    How about the stairs?

Remember, your goal for the best possible curb appeal is a neat, clean, well maintained atmosphere. Take care of these different factors to clean up the atmosphere of your home.

All of these items can be easily performed in a few hours, and theyll make an enormous difference for selling your home.

 Now that the outside has been adequately beautified, and youve mastered curb appeal, its time to move on to the inside of your home.

Just like there was a lot of little things you could do to make an overwhelming difference to the outside of your home, theres lots of great projects you can tackle inside, without having to spend a great deal of money.

While the whole home is very important, the two primary areas for sprucing up should be your kitchen and bathroom. The following tips will guide you through the inside of your home in general, and then progress to each area of your home, to make sure that youre maximizing its potential.

 The world of real estate is becoming more sophisticated in its understanding of what sells. In this sense, there is a much better comprehension of how we can spruce up our homes for sale. In fact, there are actually people who have made an occupation of just this study and this task.

There is a whole knack to being able to properly stage a home these days. Fortunately, it while it is an extremely effective effort, it is not one that takes a large amount of money. Its just a matter of improving your current surroundings.

The key is to look at your home not through your own eyes, but through the eyes of the prospective buyer. Look at your home as though youve never been there or seen it before in your life.

Think of it as romancing your buyer with your house, so youll want to set the mood.

Clear out excess furniture and accessories from the interior of your home as much as possible. If a piece of furniture is too big for the room, or is crowding the room, put it in storage, have a garage sale, or give it to a deserving charity.

This also goes for decorations, oversized stuffed animals, and other items that you may have collected over the years. Anything that takes up space should be considered, and if its not necessary, youll want to clear it out.

Nothing is more effective at opening up a house than getting rid of clutter. It will look immeasurably more spacious without all of your extra things in the way.

Pay special attention to keeping hallways and doorways clear. Not only will this make the prospective buyer feel that they will be purchasing a more spacey home, and can easier imagine their own things inside of it.

 Go through your house and clear off all of the horizontal surfaces, kitchen counters, and bathroom countertops.

This means that you wont be leaving any magazines, knick-knacks, or other various items to add to a cluttered appearance in your home. Either pack them or get rid of them in some other way.

Your home should smell good. When this comes to selling the house, it means that there should be no noticeable odors. Make careful attempts to get rid of the following smells:

H    Pet odors

H    Stale cooking/food smells

H    Cigarette smoke

Smell makes an enormous impact on people when they enter a home. Furthermore, while smokers and pet owners may not even notice the smells in their home having become quite accustomed to them they may be an overwhelming turn-off for potential buyers.

In this case, have a non-smoking, non-pet owning friend come over to perform a sniff test.

While it used to be recommended that you bake bread or steam cinnamon potpourri before a potential buyer is to come through, its no longer recommended. The same goes for spray air fresheners.

If you insist upon adding a scent to your home, make it a very repeat, very lightly scented candle, or scented oil. However, its better not to scent the home at all.

The best way to get rid of scent problems in a home isnt to cover them up, but instead, its to remove them at the source. Recommended techniques for accomplishing this include:

H    Scrubbing the house

H    Having the air vents cleaned

H    Replacing old, smelly carpeting

H    Smoking outdoors

 Just like you, buyers are lazy when it comes to having to take on large projects within the home. They want to be able to move in and be happy with what theyve bought.

If your property is in need of work, such as the following, you should tackle them before the potential buyers get to see it, so that all they will picture is moving day, not all the work theyd have to put into the home.

H    Old, dated wallpaper

H    Ratty carpeting

H    Cracked or peeling paint

H    Cracked, broken, or missing tiles

H    Other similar projects

Most people will want all of the important work done before they move in. They dont want to have to worry about tearing the place apart as soon as they get their stuff inside.

They want to buy a home, and not remain unsettled for a long time while they bring the place to the level that they consider to be livable.

With each change that they prospective buyer calculates that theyd have to make to your home; theyll become just that much more concerned. When it comes to selling your home, you need to make it your priority to assuage these concerns.

 Are families with babies and/or young children a part of your potential market? If they are, then you need to ask yourself if you would put your own child on your floor and let him or her crawl about.

In the case of having your house pass the baby test, go for cleanliness first. Make the following efforts for approval from the perspective of a judgmental parent:

H    Floors looking clean enough to eat off of,

H    Carpets looking and smelling fresh,

H    Walls free of grimy smudges and handprints

 Of all the impacts that your home can have on your buyer, cigarette smoke is the very last one youd want. This doesnt just mean the smell which, as we discussed in tip #15, is quite offensive to potential buyers but the look of ash trays (even clean ones) and smoke stains on walls, cupboards, and otherwise.

This is also true for burn holes in carpeting and upholstery. Sure, youre not selling your furniture, but the furniture that is there will leave an overall impression, so make certain that they dont show signs of smokers damage.

For the majority of buyers, they wont even want to tour a home if it is currently owned by a smoker. With that in mind, make sure to get rid of any evidence of your habit.

While this book is not about preaching to quit smoking, for all intents and purposes, your home should appear as though youve never smoked in it a day in your life.

Store all of your ash trays out of sight; clean all of the walls, ceilings, and other places that have smoke stains, and replace or cover any fabrics, carpets, or upholsteries that have burn holes.

If you must smoke, do so outside, and make sure that youre not smoking in front of an open window that will simply let the smoke back in.

 In the world of real estate, there is a huge difference between an old home, and a classic home. Its comparable to the idea of used clothing versus vintage clothing; only on a much grander scale.

If your home is about 40 years old, with 40-year old paint and wallpaper, 40-year-old appliances, and 40-year-old carpeting, then you have an old house, which is hard to sell.

On the other hand, if youve shown that youve maintained your home with an overall established look, but which has been kept fresh and up-to-date, this is a classic home, which is a very appealing style.

The major kinks of the new home have been worked out, the neighborhood is settled, and it has been maintained well enough that falling apart wont be a major issue.

 Two major things that your potential buyers will be looking for in your home include light and space.

Sure, its alright to have one room that is a bit on the darker side; however, if the entire home is dark, that should be considered to be a problem.

When people will be viewing your home, open drapes and blinds, turn on all of the lights, and add lights to darker rooms.

If Mother Nature doesnt feel like being helpful on the day that people will be viewing your home, use flowers and other similar things that will suggest sunlight.

Your goal is to make your space look crisp, sharp, and vibrant. Your home should be a happy space inside which the prospective buyer wants to spend more time.

Most buyers will have a professional home inspection done anyway, but if you do it ahead of time, then you can take care of any necessary repairs even before it goes onto the market.

Depending on your area, and what kind of home you have, this will probably cost between $200 and $400 to have done, but it can be well worth the effort.

If youre not certain who to hire, ask your real estate agent, and he or she will be able to recommend several quality inspectors.

 Its true; color is very popular when it comes to walls. However, there is a problem; you and your buyer may not have the same taste in what colors are best on walls.

Paint is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to give your home a fresh new look, and if youre going to put in the effort, you may as well do it right. Before selling, youll want to stick to neutrals.

White, beige, and cream may seem pretty boring, but despite this fact, they are the best for creating an easier sale.

Remember also that white reflects the most light out of any color, and therefore it will make the rooms appear the largest.

 If you have carpet, its wise to have it shampooed to remove any stains or smells that may exist. If that doesnt work, then youll likely have to get rid of it.

If your carpet is dirty looking, soiled, or stained beyond rescue, then your only alternative is to get rid of it. Instead of replacing it with carpet, think about wood or laminates, since theyre better selling features.

Wood and laminates make your home look more spacious, and people like to see woods and laminates more than carpeting when theyre looking at homes. As an added bonus, these types of flooring are much easier to keep clean than carpets are.

If you have any kinds of loud decorating that makes a statement or that is controversial, you should take it down.

Examples of controversial decorating are a deer head on the wall, or a bear skin rug.

These items may be attractive or fun in your eyes, but there are many people who will find this a complete turnoff.

This is the same for books and magazines that you might have lying around. If youre not sure, the best thing is not to display them, in case something might be offensive or simply unattractive to prospective buyers.

 Peeling wallpaper should be removed immediately and replaced with a fresh coat (or two) of paint.

This is especially important in bathrooms. Here, you should either paint a neutral color, or the lightest color that will match the existing tile.

This is the same for kids rooms. If they need a fresher look, then go with colors that are as neutral as possible.

That way, while buyers look at the house, theyll be looking at the home for itself, not for your own decorating abilities. Furthermore, this allows them more of a shot at imagining the way their things will go into the space.

 While no buyer will expect that your closets will be perfectly neat or empty, but they are looking for a large amount of storage space for their own things.

To help with this impression, the rule of thumb is to take everything out of your closet, and only put half of it back in. The rest of the stuff will need to find a new home; in the garbage, the clothing donation charity, or packed in your suitcases.

The reason for doing this is that partially empty closets look much roomier than they may really be. And remember, its space and storage that sell.

The same can be done for your kitchen cabinets and other storage areas. An added bonus is that when youre done sifting through your stuff to get half out of the closets, youll already have gotten rid of a lot of things that youll no longer have to move.

Moreover, if youve packed up the extras, thats work done that you would have had to do sooner or later anyway.

Fresh flowers in your house will give it a healthy, clean, and bright look, without spending a fortune.

If you have the money, you can add a professional arrangement full of exotic flowers to a room in your home.

However, if youd rather splurge on other things, then you can always go for a cheaper flower. The important thing is that theyre fresh, healthy, and in warm colors.

Affordable fresh cut flowers include:

H    Carnations

H    Daisies

H    Pompons

H    Irises

H    Freesia

H    Asters

Consider having the colors not only match the room, but the season.

For example, springtime is a great opportunity to use pinks and purples, summer is fantastic for reds and bright yellows, and fall is great for oranges and pale yellows. In the wintertime, anything bright and happy is a good idea.

If you have flowers in your yard that can be cut, its pleasant to have some in the house. This not only ties the inside and the outside, but it gives your home an authentic happy and fresh feeling.

Just be certain that you dont cut so many that the outside gardens have bare patches!

 If its mild enough outside that is, if its cool enough in warm weather, or warm enough in cool weather you might think about opening up the windows.

This will bring the fresh air in, and will be wonderful for making the air breathable, and getting rid of any home smells that you may not even notice, but may be obvious to the prospective buyer.

Be careful about the temperatures in which you open the windows. If you make it too hot or too cold inside, then the prospective viewers will feel uncomfortable, and therefore wont attach themselves quite as well.

Moreover, a too-cold house will take away from the welcoming feeling youre trying to instill in the home, and a too-warm house will make the house feel smaller than it is, and will make the prospective buyers want to leave faster. Naturally, thats not what youre going for.

 When people look to buy a home, theyre being extremely picky and observant about every little thing. That being said, you dont want to lose a sale just because you have a cobweb in a basement window.

Therefore, its a good idea to go over your home with a white glove to ensure that it is spic and span. Pay special attention to elements such as:

H    Dust

H    Cobwebs

H    Trash

H    Grunge

 When people are looking for houses, its very, very rare that theyll only see one or two houses. Therefore, if youre going to have a number of people view your home as they look at a dozen or so other homes, you need to make sure that yours is the one that stands out in their minds.

Of course there are good ways to stand out, and there are bad ways. The bad ways must be avoided at all costs. The good ways, however, should be aimed for with great attention.

Think about it: if you were to see five houses today, and another five a week from now, all with very similar features, how much would you really remember about each individual home?

The odds are, youll remember the one that had some special little detail; maybe its the one with the pink roses on the kitchen table.

Not only will this sort of little thing make your home more memorable, but it will also let your house rate higher among the others.

Its like the hook that marketers aim for in commercials and other advertising. Its something different and positive that sets your home apart from other houses.

 Remember that as much as you want to maximize your selling potential, you dont want to be so extreme that youve not only wasted your time, but youve overwhelmed those who will be viewing the home.

If you go too far, the house will look so staged that it will feel artificial. You want your buyers to feel that they could move into the place, not that they should stay behind the red velvet ropes.

 In each of your rooms, you should have three primary goals:

H    Fireplaces

H    French doors

H    Tubs with jets

Beyond these, keep the following tips in mind when you prepare your house to be sold. Keep your eyes open for the rapid fire section at the end of each room, for quick additional tips to give that final polish to each room.

 It is usually the kitchen and the bathrooms that are most scrutinized when a house is being considered for purchase. Therefore, they should be your first priorities when you look at the interior of your home before your prospective buyers arrive.

However, most experts agree that its not always the most cost-effective decision to completely remodel your kitchen before selling. Sure, you may get part of it back, but it simply cant be guaranteed that youll get a return on all of your investment.

Instead, there are some great little things that you can do as far as minor improvements and general sprucing up, which will provide a much greater impact on the speed and success of the sale of your home.

 There are lots of little things that you can do to the kitchen sink that are quite inexpensive and easy, and which will make an enormous difference in the overall picture.

For one thing, youll want to be certain that there arent any leaks at all. Do a good job repairing leaks, to ensure that there wont be any unfortunate surprises while the prospective buyers are viewing your kitchen.

Also you will want to remove stains from the sink and surrounding area. Use a good quality cleaning product, and make the sink and its hardware simply shine and sparkle.

This is almost as effective as replacing it altogether.

 Even if you are not leaving your appliances behind, they should be well cleaned, and shiny. This includes a thorough cleaning of your:

H    Refrigerator

H    Oven

H    Dishwasher

H    Microwave

H    Toaster

H    Coffee maker

This is especially important for anything youll be leaving behind, such as a built-in dishwasher, but everything should be cleaned in order to give an overall impression of a sanitary, well maintained, friendly, and overall pleasant kitchen.

Dirty appliances will inevitably make prospective buyers feel that the rest of the house is dirty as well. Even if everything was immaculate except for the oven door, that one little patch of grunge will be enough to alter the feeling that a potential buyer has about your home.

The truth is that a fantastically large number of the 90 million kitchens in America are aged 50 years or more. This means that theyll need to aim for that classic, but well maintained, and up-to-date appearance, instead of simply old.

 

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