Using the Winter to Get Ready to Sell

We have sellers who asked us to come see their house, evaluate the market price, and make suggestions to get their home ready to sell. They want to put it on the market in February or March of 2013, the time of year when more listings come on the market.

Here are some things we suggested that are specific to their house but will be helpful for others planning on doing the same thing.

• Declutter -- remove the majority of knick knacks from shelves, clean out bookcases and pack away, make sure closets are neat and do not look stuffed to the gills, get small items off bureaus, countertops, etc. Yes, you are going to live there for awhile, so it will feel a little Spartan, but you might as well get used to this way of living.
• Basement -- clean and get rid of unncessary items. Either have a garage sale or give them away. Be brutal. If you haven't used the items for awhile and you don't anticipate using them, get rid of them. Get shelving and large plastic bins. Fill up the bins with similar items. (That will help you decide to get rid of much of the stuff.) Label the outsides and place them on the shelving. If you can paint the walls and the floor. Check with a painting company for the right paint.
• Garage -- Ditto with the basement. Go on Pinterest.com for some great garage storage ideas. Or at the very least, hang up all the tools.
• Attic -- Okay, double ditto... We personally have boxes we haven't opened in four years. We are opening them and getting rid of things ourselves over the winter. You'll do yourselves a big favor getting rid of junk over this season.
• Wallpaper -- These folks have way too much wallpaper for most buyers. I told them which rooms to strip. After they strip those rooms, I'm going to suggest they strip the others. There was just too much for me to tell them to remove -- too overwhelming -- so they can do in stages. And, those home improvement perfectionists will scream at this next suggestion, but if they truly can't cope with removing the wallpaper in some rooms, or in the case of an old house if the plaster is being held together with the wallpaper, I say paint BIN over the walls and seal it in!
• Yard -- get rid of the elves and trolls and cutsie deer statues in the garden. And definetly get rid of the deer target in the back yard. While they are at it, get rid of the stuffed deer in the living room! Lots of buyers react negatively to stuffed animal trophys.
• Mudroom -- This one needed cleaning and painting. If this is the best entrance to the house, make sure it looks uncluttered, bright and cheerful. You truly only have one chance to make a good impression.

This is their winter "homework." I'll come back in February and see how they've done. Meanwhile, I'm going to take my own advice and go room-by-room and get my house in order -- not for selling, but for living clutter free!