6 things to do to get ready to sell in Ottawa - a real life story

Posted on November 30, 2009 
Filed Under Listing and Selling Your Home, Valerie Zinger

I recently offered to help a young couple get their house ready to sell.  Before I arrived, the couple had scrubbed the house clean and removed a considerable amount of clutter.  It was not a complete transformation, but close.  My job was then to let them know if there was anything else they could do.  Here are the things I suggested:

 

 

  1. After seeing the demographics for the area (no children nearby) it was deemed that the potential Buyers would be looking for adult accommodations.  I asked the Sellers to repaint the child’s room from a purple to a neutral colour and remove the stickers and most of the toys from the room.
  2. The master bedroom window was a very nice size but the blackout roller blinds were being used to hide the less than attractive view of the neighbour’s yard.  I suggested buying two sets of sheers and bunching them together on the rod to allow for lots of light but soften the view.  The roller blind was needed but should be rolled to the top during the day.
  3. I suggested buying a new mail box by the front door.  The existing box was an inexpensive model that had warped over time and started to rust.  The front door is part of the first impression.  There was enough space on the stoop to add an urn with a small artificial tree.  This would also increase the curb appeal of the house.
  4. The owner suggested having the carpets cleaned and I agreed.  Almost every house I see has horribly stained stairway carpets.  If it is possible to clean them, then it is a very good idea to do so or to remove the carpet and install something fresh.  Really stained carpets leave Buyers thinking the house if filthy.
  5. In the walk-in closet, the sweaters had started to pile up on the top shelf.  The closet looked too full - giving the Buyers the impression that the closet was too small.  I suggested packing as many sweaters as possible to make the closet look less cluttered.
  6. Finally, there was plenty of space in the dining area but the Sellers had taken the leaf out of the table, thinking that is would make the room look bigger.  In fact, by putting the leaf back in (and because there was enough space), the room looked big enough to have company come for supper. 

The Sellers were also doing touch up painting in the house to remove any chipped corners or wall marks.  This was their choice and not necessarily needed as the house was in such good condition.  In all, with paint for the child’s room, sheers for the bedroom and a new mailbox, the Sellers would be spending less than $200.00 to make a good impression on Buyers.  Worth every penny.

Photo credit:  Mailbox @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/torontorob/3850696730/

Comments

Leave a Reply