How to Get Your Home in Tip Top Showing Shape

Selling your Petawawa home, even during posting season may not be as simple at putting up a sign, putting an ad in the paper and praying it will sell. A little extra effort to impress your buyers can go a long way and “staging” a home for sale can mean cash in your hand.

Unfortunately not all of us have the cash on hand, or the time and energy, to do things that are really going to flip your home over to the next buyer quickly so here are some quick and easy ways to make your Petawawa home show like a model home for under $200. These are easy-to-do tips and the type of things an interior decorator would advise you to do to help “stage" a property so it is more attractive to buyers.

1. Clear All Clutter
You can get rid of all of the junk in your home for free. Simply get rid of anything you don’t need and haul it away in your car to the nearest dump or Goodwill. This means getting rid of “stuff” in the front yard, back yard, hallway and basement. Studies have shown that people perceive clutter as being indicative of a property that is decrepit or not worth much money.

2. Get Rid of Evidence of Pets
If you have a dog or cat send them away for the day. Hide the litter box and any evidence of it’s aroma. Make sure there are no dog feces in the front yard. This type of thing, along with its smells can convince a buyer that there are allergens, mites and pet urea in the house. Houses with more pets are also considered to be less desirable than ones with no pets at all.

3. Remove Kids’ Stuff
Get rid of strollers on the porch, inflatable kiddy pools in the back yard and any toys that may be lying around in the hallway. Get rid of baby gates and make sure there are no handprints or crayon drawings on the wall. Studies have also shown that homes that have kid’s stuff strewn about are considered to be less hygienic or valuable than those that don’t.

4. Clean Up the Front Yard and Porches
The front yard and porch are very important as that is what your buyer will first see when they approach the home. Make sure that the grass is cut and that the garden is nicely tended.  It also does not hurt to spruce up the front door with a coat of paint and replace the house number plates and the door knocker with new versions.  It also helps a lot to get rid of dead trees or bushes that may be on the property.

5. Get Rid of Sunken Paving Stones
The path to your front door and the driveway are also very important. Sunken paving stones or missing rocks make your home look ratty and cheap. It is quite easy to buy new stones, level them and redo these pathways. Curved path ways look more contemporary than ones that are at right angles.

6. Paint Rooms That Need It
If you have a wall that looks scratched up, beaten or damaged you are well advised to paint it. This can go a long way towards making a home look less shabby. You should also make an attempt to plaster any holes or crumbled parts of walls in your home as well. If paint is out of the question then you certainly could make a better impression by covering up flawed walls with wall paper.

7. Replace Some Fixtures
If your chandelier or light fixtures look dated, then go to some trouble to replace them. You can also make a home look more contemporary and like it is worth more money simply by making a few cosmetic changes like changing the light switch plates or electrical plates to designer versions.

8. Change the Faucets and Spouts
Sometimes you can make a kitchen or bathroom look really refreshed simply by changing out your old faucets and spouts for new ones. Many of these fixtures cost less than $200 and it can be quite easy to install these fixtures all by yourself.

9. Provide Flowers and Greenery
If you have cleared all the clutter, then you should have a home that looks more simple and kind of Zen in nature. One way to augment this air of designer sophistication is to put flowers or vases of tall grasses in every room.

10. Provide Some Aromatherapy
It’s been proven that if an item for sale makes some kind of impression on the nose then people are also more likely to buy it.  One of the tricks that professional real estate agents use is to simply bake some cookies in the oven so the scent of cinnamon and vanilla fills the air as potential customers walk in the front door. This gives a place a more homey effect.

With an eye for design and just a few hundred bucks you can usually fix up your home so that it is more appealing to buyers all by yourself.  Remember, there's lots of competition in Petawawa this time of year so make sure your home stands out among all the other Petawawa real estate that's hitting the market.  Good luck!