Getting Your House Ready to Sell
An Easy Checklist



Disconnect Your Emotions

Make Your House "Anonymous"

The First Step - Removing Clutter

The Most Important Room in the House

The Rest of the House

Fixing Up the House Interior

Cost of Repairs

Plumbing & Fixtures

Ceiling, Walls & Painting

Carpets & Flooring

Windows & Doors

A "Sensitive" Topic

Fixing Up Outside the House

Landscaping

Do I Need To Paint?

Disassociate Yourself With Your Home. 

• Say to yourself, "Make the mental decision to "let go" of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.
• • Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners!
• Say goodbye to every room.
• • Don't look backwards -- look toward the future.
• Say to yourself, "Make the mental decision to "let go" of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.
• Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners!
• Say goodbye to every room.
• Don't look backwards -- look toward the future. 

De-Clutter!
People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven't used it in over a year, you probably don't need it.
1. If you don't need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
2. Remove all books from bookcases.
3. Pack up those knickknacks.
4. Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
5. Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.
6. Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.
7. Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets.
Buyer love to SNOOP and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well. This means:
8. Alphabetize spice jars.
Neatly stack dishes.
9. Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.
10. Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
11. Line up shoes. 

Rent a Storage Unit.
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don't want buyers scratching their heads and saying, "What is this room used for?"
Remove/Replace Favorite Items.
If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, she won't want it. Once you tell a buyer she can't have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.  

Do the Minor Repairs
1. Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
2. Patch holes in walls.
3. Fix leaky faucets.
4. Fix doors that don't close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
5. Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls.
(Don't give buyers any reason to remember your home as "the house with the orange bathroom.")
6. Replace burned-out light bulbs.
7. If you've considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now! 

Make the House Sparkle!
Wash windows inside and out.
8. Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
9. Clean out cobwebs.
10. Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
11. Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
12. Clean out the refrigerator.
13. Vacuum daily.
14. Wax floors.
15. Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
16. Bleach dingy grout.
17. Replace worn rugs.
18. Hang up fresh towels.
19. Bathroom towels look great fastened with ribbon and bows.
20. Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no. 

Scrutinize.
21. Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer.
22. Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense.
23. Make sure window coverings hang level.
24. Tune in to the room's statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and pizzazz?
25. Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You're almost finished. 

Check Curb Appeal.
If a buyer won't get out of her agent's car because she doesn't like the exterior of your home, you'll never get her inside.
26. Keep the sidewalks cleared.
27. Mow the lawn.
28. Paint faded window trim.
29. Plant yellow flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow evokes a buying emotion. Marigolds are inexpensive.
30. Trim your bushes.
31. Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.
 

Get the Straight Facts About What Can Make or Break the Sale of Your Home. Choose Top Real Estate Agents. 

Selling your home is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. How much is it REALLY worth? How long will it take to sell? How do you handle buyers making undesirable offers? 

As top New Orleans, Mandeville and Covington area real estate agents with years of experience and a proven track record, it is our job to guide you through this complicated process, from beginning to end. We want you to get the maximum value for your home, within YOUR time frame. Here are just some of the things that we will do to market and sell your home: 

- Buyers want to buy your home for as little as possible! Through detailed comparisons between your home and recently sold homes, and other properties currently on the New Orleans, Mandeville and Covington market, together we can determine what your home is really worth in today's market. In the industry this is called a Comparative Market Analysis or CMA. We will do this for you, for free. 

- Buyers have their own timelines, which might not be yours! We make sure they don't waste your time by qualifying them as to their real ability to afford your home. 

- More buyers interested in your New Orleans, Mandeville and Covington home means more money in your pocket when it is sold. Our extensive marketing of your home assures you of maximum value. For example, This web site will market your property all across the web. It will appear on Yahoo Real Estate, Microsoft MSN HomeAdvisor, and other top national sites. We can place your home on our web site within a few minutes time! 

- When we begin marketing your home, we will immediately notify all the buyers that we are helping find their ideal home. We'll also notify all the real estate agents in this area that we work with, who quickly tell their homebuyers. It is a powerful way to jump-start the sale of your home! 

- You and a member of my team or I will walk through your home together. We will advise you how to present your property to maximize its selling price. Some improvements are worth it, and some are not! Be careful. 

- Contracts are complicated, and intimidating. You don't want to go to a closing with some doubts. You will have the full benefit of our New Orleans, Mandeville and Covington real estate experience and knowledge for a smooth and successful closing. We recommend that you do not sign on any dotted lines without asking us first. 

- We will make sure you conform to any and all Louisiana statutory disclosure requirements. We will also inform you of any inspections that you should consider having done ahead of time to smooth the negotiating process with buyers, and to ensure a successful escrow and closing. 

You pay no up front costs for our services! So you can bet that we will work hard to get your home sold, for as much as this market will possibly bear. We will also work within your time frame and your needs. For example, sometimes it can be hard to sell and move out of your current home, and buy and move into a new home, all at the same time! We can help smooth this out. 

Call or email us. Ask for a Free In-Home Presentation. We will come to your New Orleans, Mandeville and Covington home or office, and present you a plan that details exactly how we will market your home. There is absolutely no obligation so don't let this opportunity pass. It is part of our job as top real estate agents to offer you this service. 

Ask us ANY question about selling your home or property. Or request our FREE in-home presentation of how we would market your property in New Orleans, Mandeville and Covington! There's no obligation, and we promise to get back to you quickly...