Attention Sellers: Easy Improvements for an Appealing Interior
We recently blogged about fixing up the curb appeal of the home you’re trying to sell, but what about the inside? Serious buyers will be taking a look at the home’s interior at some point, so we’ve complied a list of the best ideas for sprucing it up! After all, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?
Doors and Windows
*Make the best first impression. The selling process starts at your front door, and if the screen is falling apart, or the paint is fading, the buyer is not going to be excited about what he’s yet to see inside. Make any necessary repairs and perhaps give the door a new color with paint. A new shade could give the house the extra pop it needs, as long as it’s done in good taste.
*Bust out the WD40! Open and close all of the doors and windows inside your house to see that they open easily and that there are no creaks. If you do come across a problem, a little WD40 will go a long way in taking care of it.
Fixtures
*Buyers have a tendency to mess with anything with a switch or a handle, so make sure all the lights are working, and there are no lose handles (cupboards, toilets, drawers) or doorknobs. Double check sink faucets, too. Most importantly, do they function to turn on the water, secondly are they secure, and third are they clean and in decent condition? If not, new ones can be purchased fairly inexpensively.
Floors and Walls
*Have all the carpets cleaned. Or, for a little less, you can even do it yourself. Go to http://rent.rugdoctor.com/map/map.html to search locations that rent out machines in the Sacramento area.
* Hire cleaning specialists. If you have stains on any of the floors, walls, or tiling within your house, leave it to the experts. The image upgrade will be worth it!
*Paint! A gallon can of interior paint is usually about $35 at Home Depot. That’s a low price to pay for something that can often be a huge improvement.
Good scents make sense!
*Remember the scene in Clueless when Cher baked cookies solely to make her home smell inviting to her date? Well, in that case she really wasn’t clueless! Your house should not only be free of smoke, pet, and other unpleasant odors, but a scented candle or two will help, too. It can be especially challenging to rid a house of the scent of smoke, but consider it a necessary task before showing the home to buyers. There are some good tips for getting rid of smoke odor here:
http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-smoke-smell.htm
Other ideas to keep in mind…
*Another easy, yet effective way to improve the interior of your home is to repair scratches on any wooden cupboards, shelves, and closets. Old English is an easily accessible, effective product for this job!
*De-clutter your home! Yes, buyers know that when you leave the house, your stuff will be leaving with you, but what’s the harm in de-cluttering now? You don’t want all those things you’ve accumulated (but don’t need) taking up space in your future home anyway. And the bottom line is that a home with great feng shui is the most pleasing to the eye. Here are a couple great resources for getting rid of clutter:
http://www.billy.com/movers/decluttering/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Declutter-Your-House-For-a-Quick-Move—7-Stress-Saving-Tips&id=3599600
*Focus on small repairs and improvements, not an entire remodel. The simple upgrades mentioned in this blog won’t break your bank, and you’ll want to save a little money for your move anyway.
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