Sprucing up for a sale without breaking the bank
Spring is here, and that means the start of the busiest season of the year in the real estate business. A thorough spring cleaning is a tradition with many homeowners, but if you’re planning to put your home on the market, more effort than usual is required.
Outdoor Cleaning
Take an objective look at your home’s exterior and see what needs freshening. You want the house to make a good first impression on potential buyers. If the outside needs painting, have it done. At the least, paint the trim and give the front door a fresh coat of paint. Clean all the windows, inside and out. Purchase a new welcome mat and place colorful container plants on both sides of the door to make your home even more inviting. Don’t neglect the light fixtures, both outdoors and indoors. Aside from cleaning, you want to make sure light fixtures are not a dead bug graveyard.
The Yard
Trim all vegetation so that it appears neat and tidy. Make sure you don’t have landscaping blocking sunlight into the house or hanging over your entranceway. For best results, mow your lawn on the diagonal, as this makes your property look larger. Keep the edge along your driveway and walkway well-trimmed. If your mailbox is in less than stellar condition, replace it.
In the backyard, power wash the lanai, deck or patio, and replace worn-out patio furniture with a new and attractive table and chair set. This doesn’t have to be expensive- just the newness will show better than the tired old set. Again, set out colorful plants in containers to add to the atmosphere.
Indoor Cleaning
Steam clean any carpets and polish wooden floors. Along with cleaning the interior windows, polish mirrors and any mirrored surfaces until they shine. If your older light switch plates don’t clean up well, replace them. Wash or paint interior walls. Wash or dry clean curtains and draperies, and give blinds a good clean. You want to make the inside of your home as light and bright as possible. Re-caulk the shower and tubs in your bathrooms, and clean grout between tiles. If necessary, hire a professional for tile or marble cleaning.
This year’s spring cleaning should involve a complete decluttering. While you can throw away or donate items you aren’t using, you’ll also want to put family photos and other personal materials in storage. Buyers want to imagine themselves living in the house, and that’s harder to do when someone else’s family photos and artifacts take pride of place. If your rooms are full of furniture, remove some pieces so that there’s a good flow between rooms. Decluttering also involves cleaning out your closets, because buyers want to know how much storage space is available.
While you want every room looking shipshape, the condition of the kitchen is crucial. Clean everything, especially the oven interior. Paint the walls if necessary, and consider adding new knobs or handles to the drawers and cupboards. It’s an inexpensive way to spruce up your kitchen’s appearance.
Contact Us
If you’re looking to buy or sell a home this spring or any other time of year, you need a knowledgeable, experienced realtor familiar with all aspects of the West Central Minnesota real estate market. Contact Tom Verhelst and Karen Zell, your Home and Lakeshore team, at (218) 205-2604, or info@homesandlakeshore.com.
