For Sale
by Owners

Sell it
by Owner

House Selling
For Dummies

How to Sell
Your Home

Preparing to sell your home

Overview
The amount you are able to get for your home and the speed with which it will sell are determined well before the sign goes up in your front yard or your listing hits MilitaryHomesForSale.com.

-Create space-Remove clutter to make your home as spacious as possible, both inside and out.
-Clean everything. Throw out, sell, or store anything that you seldom, if ever, need.
--Have a garage sale.
--Rent a mini-storage if necessary.
-Neutralize your home-change or remove strongly personalized colors, wall-paper, furniture, or fixtures.
-Develop a timetable to complete projects.
--Determine how much time you can devote to merchandising your home.
--Work on priority items first.

Curb Appeal
Your house only has one chance to make a first impression as prospective buyers drive up (MilitaryHomesForSale.com will help with first impressions on the internet). Make sure they can see you care about-and for-your home.

Yard Maintenance
-Mow grass weekly or as needed.
-Fertilize the lawn.
-Edge sidewalk and driveway.
-Trim shrubs.
-Add shrubs or potted plants (this can be done easily and cheaply).
-Remove yard furniture from the front yard.
-Put away garden hose, tools, and lawn mower.
-Hose exterior of house and eaves.
-Wash sidewalks and driveway.
-Shovel snow from sidewalks and driveway.
-Keep dogs out of the front yard.
Note: if you plan on being away for awhile make sure you arrange for someone to take care of these items.

House exterior:
-Check siding, replace bad boards, repair mortar.
-Paint exterior if old surface is shabby and/or peeling.
-Make sure gutters and downspouts are cleaned out and tight.
-Secure railings.
-Repair broken screens.
-Tighten shutters.
-Replace missing shingles.
-Check flashing around chimneys.
-Provide photos of your home in other seasons.

Front entry:
-Check to be sure house numbers can be easily read.
-Repair or replace mailbox if it is old, rusty, or doesn’t work properly.
-Remove bugs from light fixtures and buy new fixtures, if needed.
-Put in brighter light bulbs, if fixtures can safely handle them.
-Clean or paint front door. Polish hardware. Oil hinges.
-Test doorbell.
-Install deadbolt locks.
-Buy a new doormat.
-Add potted plants and flowers.
-Make deck inviting by adding table and place settings.

Entryway
-Solidify the positive feelings a potential buyer has about the outside of your home with a strong first impression on the inside. Make your entryway as cheerful and inviting as possible, because it sets the tone for the rest of your home.
-Clean floor, especially at walls and corners.
-Add a throw rug or mat.
-Remove anything nonessential.
-Even if you don’t have an entryway, you can create the illusion of one:
--add a wall shelf or table and a plant.
--separate the entry from the living room with a folding screen.

Interior appeal
Many rules on merchandising your home will apply generally to all rooms.

Eliminate odors:
-Clean entire house with lemon-scented product.
-Put vanilla on light bulbs before turning them on.
-Simmer cinnamon sticks on stove.
-Wash tainted basement walls with a chlorine-and-water mixture (test first) then paint after they are dry.
-Clean bad spots with a strong disinfecting deodorant.
-Get rid of pet odors.
-Replace carpeting, if saturated with odor (expensive and may only pay off if carpet is in very bad shape).
-Seal concrete floors in basements.
-Hire a professional cleaning service if necessary.
-Use solution of equal parts water and chlorine bleach (after testing a small area) to remove mildew.
-Find a temporary home for pets if needed.

Make entire house as bright and cheerful as possible:
-Replace light bulbs with brighter versions, where safe.
-Open draperies and shades.

Closets:
-Eliminate clutter.
-Make sure the buyer can see the full capacity.

Throughout house:
-Freshen appearance of rooms with latex paint, preferably in beige or off-white. (This is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to bring back a dingy room)
-Brighten ceilings with white paint.
-Clean everything, including:
--wall switches.
--window sills.
--window sashes.
-Wash windows until they sparkle, inside and out.
-Merchandise your views. Remove objects from in front of windows and on sills.
-Spotlight special features, such as artwork or plants.
-Add dimmer switches, particularly in dining room.
-Repair cracks and holes in walls.
-Check to make sure everything works:
--hinges (oil and tighten).
--doorknobs.
--light fixtures.
--hanging shelves.
--fix doors that are stuck.
-Check draperies.
-Remove unnecessary clutter.
-Rearrange furniture, if needed, so it is more inviting, provides a good traffic pattern, and makes the room seem as spacious as possible.

Floors:
-Clean carpets thoroughly.
-Replace worn-out carpeting.
-Check flooring under carpeting. This area may hold nasty pet odors, or may conseal wooden floor in good condition which may be a huge asset.
-Make wood and vinyl floors shine.

Kitchen and dining room:
Note: when you are merchandising your home, remember that the kitchen is one of the most important rooms. It can make or break a sale.
-Remove clutter from counters.
-Sort through drawers and cabinets. Store items not used regularly.
-Clean cupboards. Put in new shelf paper (neutral colors).
-Replace missing drawer pulls.
-Fix cabinet doors that stick and drawers that don’t glide properly.
-Wash cabinets with a tough, all-purpose cleaner. Coat with wood polish.
-Update out of style cabinets with new hardware or replace cupboard doors.
-Repair or replace damaged and old-fashioned countertops.
-Check faucets. Does it leak around the base or after it is shut off?
-Clean area around sink. Remove water stains.
-Don’t cook fish or other food with strong odors before a showing.
-Take everything off the front of the refrigerator.
-Accessorize.
-Put flowers in windows (but don’t obscure views).

Dining area:
-Clean and remove clutter.
-Highlight dining room’s entertainment capabilities by setting table for a company dinner, use colorful place-mats and attractive dinnerware.

Bathroom:
Note: the bathroom is the second most important room to have clean and fresh. Coordinated accessories can increase eye appeal.
-Check for broken tiles around tub.
-Get rid of mold and mildew in grout. Re-grout, if necessary.
-Remove mildew from caulk around edge of tub, then re-caulk.
-Check faucets for leaks.
-Clean lime deposits and rust stains.
-Scrub residue off shower walls with a small brush and strong cleaner.
-Check drains. Clean if sluggish.
-Make sure fan works and vents are clean.
-Wash or repaint ceiling.
-Put away personal items, such as toiletries and prescriptions.
-Purchase new bath set.
-Hang new shower curtain.
-Buy matching wastebasket.
-Put out a new bar of soap or decorative soap.
-Replace broken or stained toilet seat.
-Place automatic bowl cleaner in bowl.

Bedrooms:
Note: Like the rest of the house, you want the bedrooms to look as spacious and attractive as possible. This may mean storing extra pieces of furniture that can make the room seem crowded.
-Repair cracks and holes in walls.
-Paint.
-Launder curtains and install blinds.
-Clean carpets.
-Remove clutter.

Closets:
-Get rid of everything you don’t need. Put excess in storage.
-Paint inside white.
-Use highest wattage bulb your fixture can safely handle.
-Gain space and order with closet organizers.
-Buy plastic hangers in a uniform color.

Linen closets:
-Fold and neatly stack linens in small piles.
-Group matching linens together in front.
-Hide mismatched pieces under and behind more attractive sets.

Garage:
Note: Make your garage look as spacious as possible so that potential buyers can visualize plenty of room for their own cars, bicycles, tools, and equipment.
-Get rid of as much as possible.
-Hang tools and other equipment on pegboards.
-Suspend bikes, snow blower, lawn mower, etc., from rafters or walls, if feasible.
-Move firewood out of the garage and stack it neatly away from the house.
-Sweep floor and clean up oil stains.

Basements:
Note: If your basement is finished, make sure you follow rules of thumb outlined for other rooms in the house. If it is not, make it as clean and neat as possible so that buyers can see any potential.
-Resist the temptation to store things from the rest of the house in the basement.
-Un-clutter, clean, and neutralize recreation or family room.
-Make sure staircase is clean and clear.
-Put in bright lights.
-Paint walls white to highlight spaciousness.
-Be sure circuit box is accessible.
-Solve major water problems-don’t try to hide them.
-Use dehumidifier to eliminate dampness.
-Throw out mildewed items.
-Dust floor joist and clear away cobwebs if you don’t have a finished ceiling.
-Put dirty laundry in hamper. Vacuum lint and empty trash in laundry areas.

Attic:
Note: Attics can mean future expansion space or secure storage potential to prospective buyers.
Make the most of your attic by:
-Cleaning.
-Organizing.
-Illuminating.

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