When we first visit with a potential client we are often asked, “What do I need do to get my house ready to sell?”

The To Do list can be broken into two categories:  The Big Stuff and The Easy Stuff.

The Big Stuff often has a larger cost to them but can really help with first time home buyers or those who are looking for a home they can walk into.

• Furnace and the air conditioning – Your furnace and A/C don’t have to be new but they should work well and if you have had them maintained regularly be sure to have that information on had.
• Roofing – No one likes to spend money on a new roof.  If you’re roof is near the end of or at well past the end of its life, investing in a new roof can make a big difference.
• Lighting and electrical – If you still have knob and tube wiring in your house, it’ll makes more sense to get quotes for replacement and provide those quotes to potential Buyers vs. replacing it yourself.
• Plumbing – Most plumbing repairs are not that expensive. In most cases it’s fairly inexpensive to make sure your faucets aren’t leaky or your toilets flush well.  These small repairs can seem like big stuff to a buyer and may put them off.  Taking the time to have a plumber in or if you’re a good DIY’er making these fixes will give buyers the impression that your home has been well cared for.

The Easy Stuff can be done quickly, fairly inexpensively but can have a huge impact on buyers.

• Curb appeal – Many buyers decide how they feel about your house in the first few minutes. If your front door and porch are looking worse for the wear repainting them will help start their tour with a positive outlook.
• The backyard – Don’t overlook your backyard. Mow the lawn, weed the gardens, invest in some colorful flowers and spruce up the patio furniture with some new cushions. Replace any crumbling stones, consider re-staining the deck and if you have a garage or shed, clean them out.
• A fresh paint job – Paint is one of the cheapest fixes you can make but one that probably has one of the biggest impacts.  If your home has dramatic colours or ones that are very specific to your taste, it can be hard for a buyer to imagine their furniture and decorations in the home.  Paint in neutral colours and keep decorating very simple and clean.
• New or clean grout in the bathtub and shower – No one likes to look in and see a tub or shower with dirty grout.  There are lots of grout cleaners available or if you’ve got spots missing re-grouting is a fairly easy DIY weekend project.
• Shine the floors – If you’ve got hardwood floors, polishing or refinishing might be worth doing. At a minimum, fill the cracks and conceal the scratches as best you can.
• Wash the windows – This may seem like an obvious tip but clean windows will make your house seem brighter and show that you care about your home’s appearance.W

When you are getting your house ready to put on the market don’t over renovate.  Talk to Team Mazzolino about what you can do to get your house ready to put on the market. We’ll make sure you do what you need to get the best price.