Keeping It Realtor Ready!

3 ways to keep your home Realtor® ready

If you’re the type of person who can keep a house neat and spotless 24/7, hats off to you! For the rest of us, living in a home that’s on the market (and might be shown at a moment’s notice) can be a challenge. Luckily, once you’ve taken all the major steps to declutter, clean and repair your home for sale, there are a few simple strategies you can use to keep it looking its best for buyers.


1) Make a list of your hotspots—the parts of your home that are hardest to keep clean and most noticeable. Some examples might be dishes in the kitchen sink, wet towels in the bathrooms, unmade beds, pet messes, kids’ toys, or mail on the dinner table.
 
Each morning before you leave home, or any time you get a call to warn you of a showing, pull out your list and spend a few minutes tackling those problem areas. For super short-notice showings, be ready to bundle clutter into a laundry basket or storage tub and take it with you in your car.


At the end of the list, add these often-overlooked items if they apply to you:

• Take out the trash
• Close toilet lids (parents: flush if needed!)
• Open drapes/blinds to let in light
• Turn on lights (if showing will happen soon)
• Turn off TVs
• Open interior doors to invite exploration
• Make sure your key is in the lock box
• Take pets with you (or kennel them)
• Put away personal info, such as bills or statements
• Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature (especially if you’ve programmed it to save on heating or cooling when the home is unoccupied)

2) Build a quick-cleaning kit. Move from room to room faster with a portable kit of cleaning essentials, like:

• Rubber gloves
• A duster or dust cloth
• Stain-erasing pads
• Disinfectant wipes
• Wood and stainless-steel polishing wipes
• Glass wipes
• Spray mop
• Dustpan and whisk broom
• Lint brush (for pet hair on upholstery or drapes)

Why wipes? Besides the obvious advantage of a lighter, smaller cleaning kit, wipes could also help you minimize harsh chemical smells, since you’re not spraying the cleaner into the air and you won’t leave a fragrant pile of cleaning rags in the laundry. Alternatively, you could choose low-odor cleaners, or cleaners with a pleasing scent.

 3) Ask for help (and make it easy for people to help you). If you’re not the only person living in your home, you shouldn’t be the only person trying to keep it clean. Goodness knows, you’re not the only one creating the mess! Give your housemates, spouse and/or children helpful daily tasks and provide the tools they’ll need to get their jobs done. For example, set aside a basket for each child to fill with their toys or other clutter, a tasteful box for unsorted mail, ample hampers for linens, etc.

 

Staging a Home: the Do's and Don'ts

When selling a home, first impressions matter. That’s why staging is key for creating an emotional connection with buyers. Signs of a happy life (like the scent of freshly baked cookies or a book beside the sofa) can instantly boost a prospective buyer’s mood and maximize your home’s selling potential.

Here are a few important tips about the process.

 


Do: clean your house! If you can do one thing on this list cleaning your home is the one.  Get on your hands and knees and scrubs those floors and baseboards.  Deep steam clean that rug (wall to wall and area rugs), wash guest towels and bedding so it is cleans and not musty smelling, scrub that tub and shower walls, clean windows, mirrors and more, wash down doors and cabinets and even walls.  Top to bottom - throughout cleaning is necessary and it will be very obvious to buyers

 Do: Declutter your space. This is by far the most important step for staging and resale. Organize every nook and cranny, including closets and cupboards. It doesn’t seem like much, but going the extra mile will help leave a lasting impression. (Plus it' s always great to declutter before a move so you don't lug all that extra junk with you to the new place)




Do: make small repairs and finish any incomplete work.  So leaky faucets, cracked tiles, missing or incomplete trim work, replace burnt out light bulbs (interior and exterior), make sure your heating and cooling systems are fully functional (proof of a maintenance inspection is never a bad idea), make sure your fireplaces are also functional, caulk your baseboard, touch up paint (if you can't repaint the house)



Do: Paint your walls. Soft, warm whites are a good option over anything with colour pigmentation like a sage green or calm blue.Ideally, paint the entire home but if that won't work with your budget, paint the main living space and any dark rooms. Crisp white walls will make your home feel extra fresh and clean. Opt for a simple off-white shade like Slipper Satin by Farrow & Ball or Elmira White by Benjamin Moore








 

Do: Focus on curb appeal. People always notice the front entry first, so make sure it’s inviting. A few must-dos: Repaint the front door, mow the lawn and double-check that the outside lights work like light weeding or sweeping the walkway. In winter months, shovel the pathways and walk ways and be sure to salt them for safety. 


Do: make small updates that you can afford.  If your home is dated try updating you cabinetry hardware in the kitchen and bathrooms this is an instant update and it's very easy to do.  Update your lighting by replacing existing and out dated light fixtures, so brass light fixtures opt for a brushed or polished nickle instead (just keep the finish the same throughout the home)



 

Do: Keep every space organized, including bookshelves. It’s small efforts like this that hold the most weight when preparing your home for sale. when buyers see clutter - like bursting book shelves, disorganized cupboards and closets or items stored above cabinets - the message is 'there isn't enough storage' and that's a negative.



 Don't: Hide all personal mementoes. A few trinkets suggest a home is filled with good memories and has some warmth to it, but really  limit the number of family photographs. Potential buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living there, too! If you remove everything, the house with be completely 'neutered' and lacking in warmth.

Don't: Renovate the entire house. This is a definite don’t. Some homebuyers would rather do the renovation themselves, and others aren’t particular about everything being brand new. Plus you may ending up spending more than you had budgeted and run over time - do the necessary improvements and if major updates are needed like new kitchen and bathrooms etc...discuss a pricing strategy with your real estate agent to reflect the home's potential.

Don't: Stage every room. As mentioned above, you don’t need to remodel your entire house before you sell. Save yourself the time and money, and focus on smaller adjustments like furniture placement and overall tidiness.Be sure that all of the rooms are clean, repaired, and tidy -

Do add a pop of colour -  it looks great in photos too, so think about purchasing some accent pillows, flowers, new shower curtain, guest towels - small affordable items that can easily add a fresh look to your home and present well in photos (most of your first views will be from the Internet) and in person during open houses and showings