CHAPTER 1
PRE-MARKET IMPROVEMENTS THAT REAP BIG REWARDS The decision to put your house on the market requires your commitment to prepare/update the house for sale by decluttering, painting, removing dated wallpaper, improving curb appeal, and possibly even undergoing some small improvements. Once this “phase one” of the sale is complete, you must keep the house impeccably clean and “show-ready” at all times. You must be prepared to vacate the premises at a moment’s notice for showings, regardless of your plans. MAKING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SHOWINGS You can spend your time, money, and effort on attracting buyers, selling them on all of the unique features of your home, and building their confidence in you, but without properly preparing and staging the house, the buyers will be turned off and you will fail. Look at your house through the eyes of a prospective buyer. You must anticipate and eradicate anything that could give a buyer a poor first impression. Here are a few: An overgrown, messy yard will cause potential buyers to form a preconceived notion that your entire property is in poor condition, inside and out. They may even make them decide against coming inside. The inside could be immaculate, but if the outside looks like a natural habitat for snakes and massive spiders, potential buyers will most likely keep on driving. Pets in residence. No matter how well-groomed or well-behaved your pets are, not everyone is a pet lover. You have to go on the assumption that your potential buyer doesn’t view your furry child as a sweet companion, but as an animal that sheds, has accidents
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