Bedrooms
Imagine for a moment that you're in the "bed
& breakfast" business. How would you change your
home's bedrooms to appeal to a paying lodger? Naturally
you'd make up the beds with your prettiest sheets and comforters.
Maybe you'd add a vase of flowers on the dressing table
or a cosy armchair in the corner. Every bedroom in your
home should invite prospective buyers to settle right in.
35. CREATE A MASTER BEDROOM "SUITE" EFFECT.
Large master bedrooms are particularly popular
among today's home buyers. Make your bedroom larger. Paint
the room a light color, remove one of the bureaus if the
room is crowded, minimize clutter to maximize spaciousness.
Aim for a restful, subdued "look". A private bathroom
off the master bedroom is a real sales plus. Decorate to
coordinate with the color scheme of your bedroom, create
the "suite" effect.
36. TACKLE YOUR CLOSETS.
Virtually all buyers are looking for a house
with plenty of closet space. Try to make what you have appear
generous and well planned...
- clear out all but your current seasonal wardrobe.
- a clear floor will make a closet seem more spacious.
- closet shelves should look well organized.
- when prospective buyers open your closet door, they
should be greeted with a whiff of fresh-smelling air.
- be sure that every closet in your home has a light
so that buyers can easily inspect the interiors.
37. DEPERSONALIZE TEENAGER'S ROOMS
Take the time to explain your house-selling
goals to your children. Encourage them to participate in
preparing your home for showing; particularly the principle
of appealing to the widest possible market...store those
personal posters until your home is sold.
Bathrooms
Wise sellers take special pains with preparing their bathroom(s)
for scrutiny by strangers. The bathroom is a room, after
all, and a very personal one. Potential buyers will inspect
yours with eagle eyes, so be sure it is immaculate. Don't
forget the medicine cabinet: dispose of those three-year-old
prescriptions, and polish the shelves. The same goes for
the storage cabinet under the sink. Replace that old caulking
around the bathtub.
38. CREATE A LOOK.
Decorate and personalize - create a pleasing,
individual look. Add plants, shells you collected at the
beach last summer in an attractive glass bowl or jar, pictures,
magazine rack, display fresh towels that coordinate with
paint colors, etc.
39. CONSIDER COLOR.
Remember, appeal to a wide range of buyers.
Play down that all-pink look with contrasting dove-gray
towels and matching bathroom rug. If your bathroom is mostly
white or neutral, add a few cheerful accents of color; use
towels in the popular shades. Don't hesitate to buy a few
new towels and a rug; you'll be taking them with you to
your new home.
40. INVEST IN A NEW SHOWER CURTAIN.
41. IMPROVE YOUR FLOOR COVERING.
Notice the word "improve" not "replace."
Scrub and wax the older floor. Cover the largest area you
can with a large scatter rug.
42. PUT OUT FRESH TOWELS AND SOAP.
Prospective buyers are very special guests
in your home. Give the VIP treatment with fresh smelling
towels and new soap in an attractive dish. Splurge on a
box of fancy sculptures and perfumed guest soaps.
43. GO EASY ON AIR SPRAYS AND ROOM DEODORIZES.
A gentle hint of fragrance in the air is fine,
but keep it subtle.
Attic
Whether a high-ceiling room of a crawl space
under the eaves for storage, your attic area will be examined
and should not detract from the well-kept appearance of
your home. If your attic is reached by a steep flight of
stairs, be sure they're clutter free and well lit; if your
attic space is reached by a folding set of stairs that you
pull from the ceiling, be sure the mechanism is well oiled
and there is adequate lighting.
44. EASE THAT CREEPY, HAUNTED FEELING.
Spruce up your attic space, hide the mousetraps,
and install bright lights. If your attic does have windows,
be sure to clean off the grime and let in as much light
as possible. Clean as needed.
45. REARRANGE YOUR STORAGE.
Get rid of anything that you don't plan to move
to your new home. Remaining stored materials should be neatly
contained in boxes and trunks, and position against walls.
46. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR ATTIC'S EXPANSION POTENTIAL.
If you have a large, cheerful, windowed
attic, you're sitting on a potential gold mine. Don't renovate
your attic, just stage to suggest your attic space has potential.
Basement
If your home has a full basement, chances are that the
"machinery" of your home furnace, water heater,
electric circuit breakers, etc. is located there. Since
educated buyers will inspect this area, do necessary clean-up
and repairs. Spend a Saturday morning cleaning out your
basement. Get rid of broken tools, rusted lawn furniture,
and other assorted debris that has accumulated over the
years. Give your basement a thorough sweeping and take a
damp cloth and wipe off any dust and grime from the surface
of your water heater and furnace, they'll look newer.
47. MAKE IT AS PLEASANT AS POSSIBLE.
A dark damp-smelling basement, will have trouble
selling. One whiff of mildew and a prospective buyer may
begin conjuring up scenes of wading through your flooded
basement in rubber hip boots. Clean up mildew stains, throw
out any upholstered basement furniture that retains that
musty smell, and check the basement walls for high water
marks. Many basements are creepy simply because they are
too dark. Increase the wattage of your existing light bulbs,
and if necessary, install a few more lights.
48. SET IT UP AS A GAME ROOM OR TEEN ROOM.
Set your ping pong table (with balls and paddles
as props), hang some bright posters, dust off the old upright,
and you've instantly transformed the place into a teen hangout.
Your "stage setting" needn't be complete and shouldn't
cost a cent - its only meant to be an imagination jogger
that suggests further possibilities to buyers.
49. HIGHLIGHT A WORKBENCH AREA.
Many men dream of having a home workshop for
woodworking projects. Clear off that dusty workbench in
your basement and draw some attention to it as a sales feature.
Clean the surface, set out a few scraps of wood, a box of
nails, and a couple of tools, hang a light over the bench,
and you've set a scene for an amateur carpenter. Naturally,
if someone in your family is REALLY into woodwork, an honest-to-gosh
project in progress will stimulate buyers to imagine themselves
working in your pleasant basement. |
