The appearance of your home, a buyer's first impression, and other considerations can also affect the sale of your home. Have you considered that home prices in your neighborhood and the value of your property are also factors used for pricing your home?

Below are some articles that you might find useful in the home selling process. Please feel free to click on one the links to read more.

Seller Articles

• Risks of Remodeling Without a Permit
• Traversing The Pitfalls of Home Inspections
• What is a CMA and Why Do You Need One?
• The Home Sale: Securing The Deal

Check List before selling your home

When you are putting your home on the market, you will want it to look it's best. The better condition your home appears in to prospective buyers, is directly related to what the sales price will be. Between two comparable homes priced relatively equal, The one that is perceived to be in "better" condition will bring a faster sale and at a higher (or closer to list) price.

Staging your home is also important when showing your home to potential buyers. Staging involves a variety of techniques to help depersonalize and make your home appear more attractive and appealing to a broader pool of qualified buyers. Helping a perspective buyer imagine living and emotionally "moving-in" to your home will bring a faster sale.

Paint: There are few things as inexpensive as a gallon of paint that will yield you a higher return both inside and out. A coat of paint on interior walls and woodwork will freshen up most interiors and make them appear newer. Exterior painting is also a must if you have peeling or worn surfaces. Before painting outside, scrape or water blast any blistered or peeling paint; repair gutters and down spouts and replace wood showing dry rot.

Front entry: First impressions do count and the entry is where your buyers get their first opportunity to make a close inspection. All woodwork should be freshly and neatly painted, including the door if necessary. Replace a badly worn or broken doorbell button. Polish the door brass or replace it with new. Brush away cobwebs overhead and pressure wash walkways to remove moss and stains. Put out a new or clean doormat. Do a thorough weeding and pruning job on any flowerbeds near the entry, and add a few pretty flowers nearby.

Patio: A nice array of outdoor furniture that is in good condition looks very appealing. Put away any garden equipment or loose toys and play things.

Swimming Pool: Adjust chemicals until the pool sparkles. Hose dust and cobwebs from filtration equipment. Store chemicals, tools and toys neatly. Weather permitting, always open the pool when showing home

Yard: Mow and trim the lawn. Weed flower beds; remove or replace dead plants or trees. Put down a layer of fresh bark if necessary. Water regularly during the growing season and add some seasonal color to flowerbeds.

Driveway, garage/carport: Clean up grease or oil spots. Reseal and coat asphalt driveways and pressure wash aggregate. Make sure that the garage door opens freely and that the automatic door opener is in good working order. If possible, don't park cars in front of the house or in the driveway. Recreational vehicles or boats should be in the garage or carport or behind a fence in the back. Cars being overhauled should never be visible from the street.

Fence/decking: A few missing stakes or slats are real eyesores to buyers, yet they are usually inexpensive and easy to fix. Repair, paint or stain as necessary. Pressure wash and reseal decks.

Roof: Have the roof and gutters professionally cleaned and treated and replace any missing or worn shingles.

Carpets: Steam-cleaning is the best answer for soiled carpet; shampooing seldom does the job where show ability is concerned. If pet odors are present, be sure to clean the carpet some time before the home is placed on the market to be sure the odors have been eliminated.

Windows: Repair or replace torn or bent screens. Replace any cracked or broken panes and replace windows with broken seals. Also, notice foliage near windows. A window framed in ivy can give a warm, homey feeling, but cut it back if the foliage is restricting the light coming into the room.

Doors: Oil any squeaky doors and tighten the hardware and doorknobs.

When you get ready to place a home on the market for sale it becomes a product, and just like any product on the shelves at your local store it has features and benefits, pluses and minuses, and there are other products to compete with. To gain an edge in your marketplace you must be priced right and look better than the competition. Sometimes it's difficult to think of a home as a mere product, but it helps to think that way so that you can get top dollar for your property and sell it in a reasonable amount of time.

Why Stage your home? Two of the most important benefits are:

• Decrease in Market Time
• Increase Your Homes Value

Here's an example of Staging™.

Before Staging Techniques Applied:

Before Staging Techniques Applied:

A staged home will show better than competing homes for sale in your local market, allowing you to sell faster and for more money.

One of the best and least expensive ways to improve the show ability of your home is to make it feel spacious. Openness stimulates positive feelings in buyers. Overstuffed rooms or closets give the impression of being smaller that they really are. You can't change the size of what your have, so try to present it in a pleasing way. If necessary, rent a mini-warehouse to store your extra belongs in while the house is on the market or start packing away things you don't use everyday and put them in a portable storage container delivered right to your home. For information on a Portable Storage Service or other Home Services click here > Reference List

Contact Patti to learn about the other many benefits Staging™
has to offer sellers and buyers.

Closets and storage areas: When clearing the clutter from your home, it is tempting to shove everything in the closets. Don't do it. One of the most frequently voiced requirements of buyers is for closet and storage space. Open up your storage areas by getting rid of items you aren't using. When a buyer opens a closet and everything comes pouring out, the impression is there is not enough closet space in the house.

Garage: The same thing is true with the garage. Buyers will pay a premium for a garage if they can visualize it being of value to them, but it's hard to sell the virtues of a garage when it is filled to overflowing. If your garage has become a two-car attic, move the excess to a mini storage facility.

Counters & Cabinets: The same principle applies here: Overcrowding drives the impression of inadequacy. This applies to bathrooms and kitchens. Have bathroom counters free of cosmetics and toiletries. Kitchens are very important. Store infrequently used counter-top appliances and have some fresh flowers and fruit displayed and of course have all dishes stored or in the dishwasher.

Bedrooms and playrooms: Always have beds made neatly, the rooms tidied and toys displayed artfully.

Lights: When showing your home to perspective buyers, it pays to illuminate the home thoroughly-have every light in the house on. Don't forget those outside, in the garage, utility room, halls and closets.

Additional staging tips: For those of you who really want to make an impression, here are some additional ideas.

• Depending on the time of year and the weather, light the fireplaces to create a warm homey environment.
• Have soft music playing in as many rooms possible. (Always the same music from room to room).
• Light aromatic candles (if you are going to be present) to give a soft glow to the room and introduce a pleasant scent in the air.
• Set the dining room table with your best china and stemware.
• Bake cookies, pies or bread before a showing or simply borrow the aroma from scented candles or incense. Have a pot of spiced cider on the stove.