Thursday, April 9, 2009

Curb Appeal (inside) Part 2...

Here it is, part 2 of what to do to get your house sold. Earlier this week I focused on the outside, now we shall enter inside and go room by room. First up is the Living...
via Oliveaux
As this is usually the first place you see it should set the tone for the rest of the house. Pack up all of your personal photos of Nana and the kids and pics of the dog and cat (unless they are artfully arranged on a wall in black and white in matching frames). This will allow buyers to visualise their pictures in your room, and just think you will be packing them up soon anyway! Do this along with any other cluttering pieces and dust collectors. It will save you time when the Real Estate Agent calls you with 30mins to spare before bringing buyers through.
This area should be spotless (as with the whole house), rugs and carpet vacuumed, cushions fluffed....
also home
...and fresh flowers around. They don't have to be from a florist from your garden is fine. A great choice is Lillys. They smell and look divine, last quite a while and if you cut off the stamens (the little bits with the pollen on them), you will avoid offending allergic people and getting impossible stamen stains on their white silk shirt!

my dream space
Your kitchen and dining area will be looked at closely. Pay attention to your bench tops, oven and cupboards (yep they will look inside). Try and make everything as neat and tidy as you can, like you do this everyday and it is normal. It shows you care about this home and it has been loved and looked after. No one wants a home that has been the maternity hospital to a community of rats and bugs, so if you have some...get rid of them.
Also, pack away as much unnecessary clutter as you can.

country home
Your bathroom is another spot that will be looked at very closely. Clean and disinfect this space well. Make sure it is well ventilated. If you have any mildew a few drops of Oil Of Cloves in water is the only thing that kills the mould spore...bleach just hides it. If you have any stains left, you'll need to repaint to freshen it up. Tiles should sparkle as well as your mirrors.
Put out some fluffy towels a little vase of flowers and get rid of all your shampoos and kids toys from the tub.

new england living
Your bedroom will need a de-clutter. Make up your bed everyday. Clear off your reading glasses and books from the side tables. Get anything off the top of your wardrobes and pack it all away. Turn on your bedside lamps when you have a buyer coming through...you will be surprised what a difference it makes. Do this in all of your rooms unless you have wonderful natural light.

Martha Stewart
If you have a home office it should be well organised. All paper work packed up (it will give you an excuse to catch up and file it), books in neat stacks, pens and paraphernalia in drawers and if you can some matching boxes to make it look like there is ample space for them to put their office gear in...even though you will take them to your next home. You are just creating a visual for the buyer so they can see what a fab home this one is. Add flowers.
me&mo
In all of your rooms, turn on side lamps, light candles in fireplaces if it is not winter and open windows. This not only shows buyers everything works and you have nothing to hide, but it gives a sense of warmth, atmosphere and fresh air to tempt them even more.

Now if all this seems a little daunting to you, start a room at a time. Start at the ceiling and work your way down. Cobwebs, clean curtains, dust, de-clutter, vacuum and mop. Don't forget the Garage as this is important to Men...give that job to your significant other.
If you can do all of this you will save yourself time and effort when you have to pack up, your home will sell in no time and it will look so great, you will have buyers fighting with each other.
This is what we did and we sold our home in 3 days and Mic's parents went up at the same time and theirs sold in 2! Good Luck.
Ness xx

10 comments:

  1. Ness you've chosen such beautiful images to illustrate your tips. We can always count on you for your wonderful eye.
    Good luck with the kitchen re-vamp and have a great Easter.
    Catherine xx

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  2. Great tips, although this is something I strive for on a regular basis.
    Have a great day, and Easter!
    Darlene

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  3. Great tips Ness and Happy Easter to you and your family, xv.

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  4. Great tips. It may be a lot of work, but selling a house is a big job and anything that helps the house to stand out is great. You did amazing to sell your last house in three days!!! We thought we were inpressive to sell our last house in less than a week! That kitchen photo is amazing!

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  5. Great tips. Wouldn't it be great to regularly do all of those things in the house you live in?

    As usual, I love all of your photos.

    Have a great Easter!

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  6. Wonderful tips!
    Whenever I'm showing a home I always turn on every light, even if in the middle of the day and wipe down all of the faucets and sinks so they sparkle and aren't covered in water spots!
    Another thing that is easy to do, and so disgusting when it's not done, is cleaning off the cooktop and the oven. None of these things are hard, but they make such a difference!
    Great photos to illustrate all your points :)

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  7. I printed this out and am going to have Noel put it in one of her books so I can keep it forever! Thanks Ness for the serene common sence to a beautiful home. You should write a book!

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  8. "maternity hospital to a community of rats and bugs"!!!! Oh Ness, you crack me up!.. I love your turn of phrase. A wonderful post! A-M xx

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  9. Beautiful post, sorry I didnt see it until today, April 9 was my birthday the day you posted it.
    Happy Easter,
    Hop over and visit us
    kate

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  10. I always love posts like this. Last year, I went into a house that was overpriced and SO dirty - I could not believe it. It was like they decided to put the house on the market and the next day opened up the doors without doing anything. The house stayed on the market for 9 months, and did not sell. I wonder whether they will relist it this spring? If so, they need to do a lot more clean up!

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