Be ready to list your home at a moment's notice!
Sometimes, the unexpected happens in life. The job opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to move back somewhere closer to family, perhaps job loss. Whatever the reason, you can have your house always ready to list by doing a small few items now. Here’s the list:
- Make sure that mechanicals in the house are properly working: furnace, air conditioning, water softener, reverse osmosis water systems, garage door openers, alarm systems, intercom systems, plumbing systems and the like.
- Make a ‘to do’ list of cleaning and develop a ‘pretend’ time-line, saying, “I will do the following in the next week”. Pick one or two only so it’s not so over-whelming.
- Clean: Doors and woodwork, baseboards, windows, those grungy patio door tracks! Also, behind refrigerator, washer and dryer. Vacuum draperies.
- Closets: Do they need to be painted? De-cluttered?
- Organize: Bookshelves; stack neatly and add a bit of decoration. Cabinets; clean out, organize, re-line shelves.
- Walls: Take a look at all the walls and see where there are drywall nicks and patch and paint those. The really ‘ugly’ wallpaper that’s still up? Take it down and paint neutral. You can always go back and decorate later.
- Basement: Start emptying the basement of clutter, box up unused items neatly, give away to charities little-used items. Do the same with the garage.
- Worn-out ‘stuff’: How are the exterior lights by the garage door? All rusted? It won’t cost much to replace them. Check other ‘old’ items as well like faucets, knobs on all cabinets, switch plates and heating vent covers. If they’re rusted, banged, ‘gross’ or older than father time, change them!
- Exterior: Take care of any building repairs. Trim landscaping. Spruce up the mailbox and the house numbers.
Don’t be scared! Stay prepared!
Posted by:
Lisa Rossetto
