Guide Me Home to North Jersey

Deciding to sell your home is the beginning of a process that consists of many steps. One of the most crucial is preparing your home for prospective buyers to see. As we are in a “buyer’s market” cycle, the smallest negative can completely turn your buyer’s head in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, those are the items that never make it to the feedback level!

There are two stages to this preparation process. In this blog, I will talk about the “big picture” items that will need to be addressed so that potential buyers don’t feel that they will have to fix your problems. Next week, I will talk about the more cosmetic issues that help, so please check back!

While walking around your house, buyers will ask questions that pertain to the general upkeep and maintenance of your home. It is very helpful if the agent has your Seller’s Disclosure in hand and can report immediately about an item’s age or when a system was serviced or repaired. Unless you want to list your house “as is” and price it accordingly, a little up-front elbow grease always pays off.

Let’s start at the beginning. When the buyer drives up to your home, make sure that there is no peeling paint, shutters are firmly affixed, and the grass and shrubs are well trimmed and healthy looking. Kill the weeds! The driveway and walkway to the front door are the second impression. Repair potholes and broken cement. Is the front door and surrounding entryway freshly painted and swept clean? If you are using a lock box, does the key turn easily, or will the agent have to struggle to get in?

Once the buyer is in the house, the questions will start. It’s the answers that will keep them focused on your wonderful home instead of potential problems. Make a checklist of all the inspections and repairs that have been performed as well as possible concerns that your house may currently have. The list should include chimney and septic cleaning, inspections, repair of furnaces, air conditioning, sprinkler systems, radon systems, pools and wells. Don’t forget your kitchen appliances! Decide if that old hot water heater should be replaced, the electrical box needs repair, or the automatic garage doors need servicing. Remember, anything not working will appear on the inspection report, and you may have to negotiate the repair or the price of the repair.

Next week, I’ll discuss the cosmetic portion of preparing your home. Check back!

Posted by:Mary Jane Benedetto