I read an article in REALTOR Mag last month about the top 10 "worst home-showing offenses" - in other words, major mistakes people make when showing their homes. I'd like to share them with you, along with tips for avoiding them.
The fourth mistake is critters, specifically wild animals and pests like insects. This sounds pretty obvious, but remember: you might be accustomed to something and think of it as "no big deal," while that same thing might be an unpleasant surprise to a potential buyer. Whether it's raccoons in the backyard or boxelder bugs that are only around for a week (but during that week, they're EVERYWHERE), imagine you're seeing your home for the first time. Try to control or remove those uninvited wild guests.
The fifth mistake is "oddities," as in "oddities from home make-overs." Again, you might be accustomed to using that former home office as a bedroom, despite its lack of closet. And you might not notice any more that a door opens "backwards" or that some paint got on the light switch plate when you repainted a room. But potential buyers are much more likely to notice these things and get a negative impression of your home from them. Again, imagine you're seeing your home for the first time. Clean up any details like awkward paint, and restage rooms to help them look more like buyers would expect.
To get you started, here are a few resources: tips for
painting your door and
your kitchen cabinets. You can find more painting, cleaning and staging tips on
my Pinterest board for "real estate help".
