Whether you are selling your home yourself or working through a realtor, you will need to prepare your house to seduce potential buyers. Your goal is to make your house look delightfully livable, but not lived in. It is a buyer’s market right now and your competition for the sale will be significant. So, let’s look at three categories of preparation you should consider: repairs, cosmetic changes, and additions along with how to decide on the most beneficial use of your time and money.

Make interior and exterior repairs to get your home ready for sale

Like many of us, you may have lived with and accommodated little things around the house that were broken. When you are getting your house ready to sell, you can no longer do that. Fix or replace torn screens and broken windows and add weather sealant. Repair any cracks in the walkway or drive way and resurface the asphalt in your drive, if needed. Make sure that your fence is solid and replace or repaint areas that show significant weathering.

Have a licensed inspector check your roof and structure including your foundation. Use their report to provide guidance on repairs that need to be made. The report and your conformance with its recommendations will make your potential buyers feel more confident in their selection. Your inspector should also check and certify the major systems of the house including electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning. Check with your agent or your state and local governing agencies to learn what disclosures about the structure’s condition are required in your state.

On the interior of your house, repair any broken tiles or holes in walls. Make sure doors open and close easily. Fix leaky faucets and make sure that lights and ceiling fans work. If some appliances are being sold with the house, ensure that they are working properly.

What cosmetic changes improve marketability when making your house ready to sell?

Here is a chance to really make a difference in the appeal of your home to potential buyers. First, and most important, clean everything. Declutter every room and the garage. If necessary, rent a storage unit for some of your furniture so that each room can have an open and inviting look.

If your floors are carpeted have them professionally cleaned. If you have old carpet or outdated colors – heaven forbid you still have avocado colored shag, choosing to replace the carpet with a neutral colored one adds brightness and a clean not lived-in look to a room. If you are lucky enough to have wood floors – which are popular these days – have them polished or refinished. Or, if you have tile floors with grout have that cleaned, polished and resealed.

Painting – probably yes. Nothing spiffs up a room like a fresh coat of paint. Use neutral colors and be sure to cover any cracks. If you have old-fashioned wood paneling, especially if it is plywood based, paint it. Nothing says “older home” than dark wood paneling. Also, if you have an old popcorn ceiling, it will help your home’s appeal to have that removed and the ceiling repainted.

Wallpapered walls are tricky. It is not that people do not like wallpaper, but they may not like yours. If you decide to repaper walls, again choose fairly neutral colors and simple patterns. In the kitchen, it is not necessary to replace cabinets, although they should be freshly painted if they have been painted before and replacing the handles and pulls adds a nice touch. The same is true for bathroom cabinets and drawers.

Should you make costly additions to help prepare your home for sale?

Remodeling a kitchen or bathroom or adding a room may increase the appeal of your house to a potential buyer. But remodeling is expensive. If you are considering remodeling to update your home, you need to check out the Cost versus Value report. This report looks at the cost versus impact on value for 30 potential remodeling projects broken down by areas of the U. S. For example, in the West South Central part of the country that includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, the average cost to remodel a bathroom in 2007 was $14,044 and the potential return (in terms of adding value to the home price) was $12,766. That means that the return on investment was approximately 90%. The same remodel on the West Coast cost over $18,000, but returned almost 97% in the home’s value.

Preparing your home for sale is neither easy nor fun at least for most people. However, your time and effort will be rewarded when you have closed the deal and are ready to move onto your new residential site.

List your property now!