Home Improvements to Make Before Going to Market

<h1>Home Improvements to Make Before Going to Market</h1>Author: <a title="Oswald Melman" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/oswald-melman/165537.htm">Oswald Melman</a> Home renovation is an ongoing project that not only makes the home more enjoyable to live in, but easier, and more profitable, to sell. Big home improvement projects such as redoing the kitchen or bathroom, or replacing all of your windows, can be serious investments that produce serious bottom-line results. When it comes time to the put the house on the market, however, you have to consider the whole package, down to the little details. Prospective buyers will be taking a close look at every-inch of the home, so it behooves you to do some general home repair and maintenance before putting it on the market. What follows is a list of must-do pre-sale tasks.
Make it look pretty. Add some flowers for color and decoration. Burn candles or potpourri, but be careful that the resultant smells are not overpowering. Keep the house squeaky clean—buying a home is the biggest, most important purchase of most peoples’ lives, so be prepared for prying eyes and picky, detail-oriented reviews of your home.
Wash the windows and clean window frames.
Check your floors for spots, scratches, and stains. Wood floors should be polished and buffed to remove scratches. Scratches in linoleum floors may be harder to repair, but do your best to clean and polish. If you have tile floors, make sure the grout between tiles is as clean as possible, and replace or repair any broken tiles.
Check walls for scratches, marks, dings, or stains. Smaller marks from pencils or moving furniture can be carefully removed with a clean sponge and warm water, but dents and scratches may require a more involved touching-up. If you added any crazy designs or paint jobs to walls, such as murals and sponge-painting, consider repainting them in neutral colors that will accommodate a wide range of tastes.
Have the carpet deep-cleaned to make sure it is free of stains and odors. Tobacco smoke, pets, and general aging can produce smells that are so faint and common that you cease to notice them. The new, and discerning, nose of a prospective buyer, however, will pick them up in an instant. Nothing turns people off like a smelly house, so take special care with this one. Also look for rips or spots where mold may have crept in to carpets and rugs.
Hire a landscaping company or do it yourself, but make sure the gardens, flowerbeds, and walkways look well-tended and clean. A homebuyer’s view of the exterior will be the first introduction to your house and could set the tone for the entire visit, so put them at ease with something that says “clean,” “comfortable,” and “well cared for.” Cut the grass, trim the edges, put down fresh mulch, do a thorough job of weeding, trim dying tree branches, rake leaves, and pressure-wash dirty walkways.
For a final check, go outside, close your eyes, and walk up to your home as if you were seeing it for the first time. Give it a hard look to make sure you did not miss anything. Being hard on yourself now will make you much happier later.About the Author: <a href="http://homeproimprovement.com">Home Pro Improvement</a> can help you get started on home maintenance and repair. Take advantage of a <a href="http://www.homeproimprovement.com/consultation.html">Free In-home Consultation</a> before beginning home renovations.Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/home-improvements-to-make-before-going-to-market-1141004.html" title="Home Improvements to Make Before Going to Market">Home Improvements to Make Before Going to Market</a>

Home renovation is an ongoing project that not only makes the home more enjoyable to live in, but easier, and more profitable, to sell. Big home improvement projects such as redoing the kitchen or bathroom, or replacing all of your windows, can be serious investments that produce serious bottom-line results. When it comes time to the put the house on the market, however, you have to consider the whole package, down to the little details. Prospective buyers will be taking a close look at every-inch of the home, so it behooves you to do some general home repair and maintenance before putting it on the market. What follows is a list of must-do pre-sale tasks.

Make it look pretty. Add some flowers for color and decoration. Burn candles or potpourri, but be careful that the resultant smells are not overpowering. Keep the house squeaky clean—buying a home is the biggest, most important purchase of most peoples’ lives, so be prepared for prying eyes and picky, detail-oriented reviews of your home.

Wash the windows and clean window frames.

Check your floors for spots, scratches, and stains. Wood floors should be polished and buffed to remove scratches. Scratches in linoleum floors may be harder to repair, but do your best to clean and polish. If you have tile floors, make sure the grout between tiles is as clean as possible, and replace or repair any broken tiles.

Check walls for scratches, marks, dings, or stains. Smaller marks from pencils or moving furniture can be carefully removed with a clean sponge and warm water, but dents and scratches may require a more involved touching-up. If you added any crazy designs or paint jobs to walls, such as murals and sponge-painting, consider repainting them in neutral colors that will accommodate a wide range of tastes.

Have the carpet deep-cleaned to make sure it is free of stains and odors. Tobacco smoke, pets, and general aging can produce smells that are so faint and common that you cease to notice them. The new, and discerning, nose of a prospective buyer, however, will pick them up in an instant. Nothing turns people off like a smelly house, so take special care with this one. Also look for rips or spots where mold may have crept in to carpets and rugs.

Hire a landscaping company or do it yourself, but make sure the gardens, flowerbeds, and walkways look well-tended and clean. A homebuyer’s view of the exterior will be the first introduction to your house and could set the tone for the entire visit, so put them at ease with something that says “clean,” “comfortable,” and “well cared for.” Cut the grass, trim the edges, put down fresh mulch, do a thorough job of weeding, trim dying tree branches, rake leaves, and pressure-wash dirty walkways.

For a final check, go outside, close your eyes, and walk up to your home as if you were seeing it for the first time. Give it a hard look to make sure you did not miss anything. Being hard on yourself now will make you much happier later.

Home Pro Improvement can help you get started on home maintenance and repair. Take advantage of a Free In-home Consultation before beginning home renovations.

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Article Tags: Home Improvement, Hvac, Sears Home Renovation, Sears Home Improvement, Sears Window Replacement

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