Post By homes4sale in Chicago Home Selling
Now days, when people are looking to buy a house or condo in Chicago, the entire package is essential to sealing the deal. From outside in, your home has to impress on all levels. To get things rolling in the right direction, here are some simple ways to prepare the interior of your property for resale.
This is a no-brainer, but Clean the House! Chances are, if this is a home you have lived in for years, the cleaning process may be a job for many hands. Rope in family and friends to help you out (that’s what friends are for, right?). Have them bring over extra mops, duster, rags, etc. so you can spread out and cover more rooms quickly. Wash windows, dust ceiling fans, scrub tiles – make the place look like new! (This can also be accomplished by hiring a cleaning service to make regular visits while you’re home is on the market.)
Many of the properties for sale in Chicago right now are new construction homes. These never-been-lived-in residences are your competition, so it’s important to make your house or condo feel as fresh and new as possible. While deep cleaning does a world of difference, sometimes bleach and elbow grease just aren’t enough. You may need to invest in a few minor repairs. For starters, anything that is broken should be repaired or replaced. You may not notice everything that needs TLC right off the bat because you are so used to seeing it, so go through the house with a fine-toothed comb and look for fixable flaws. We’re talking everything from burnout light bulbs to cracks in the walls. Depending on how serious the problem is and how handy you are with home improvements, you may need to hire professionals to do the work.
One more critical step to get the interior of your home ready to sell is painting. Give walls a fresh coat of paint, preferably in a neutral color that will appeal to a wide range of home buyers. This will also help give your place a bright, unmarked appearance that is comparable to all those new construction Chicago homes for sale. The expense of cleaning, getting things fixed and painting will pay off later on when buyers see a great Chicago house for sale that is in move-in condition!
Post By homes4sale in Chicago Home Selling
There are a lot of properties for sale in Chicago right now, which is why you need to get your home in tip-top shape before putting it on the market. Competition is strong – there may even be “For Sale” signs on your same block – so it’s important to make sure your home stands out from the rest from first sight. Here are a few quick tips to help prepare the exterior of your house or condo for resale…
Clean up the exterior and make that curb appeal work for you! Your yard and the outside of your home is the first thing buyers will see upon visiting the property. If you live in a condo building there may not be much you can do to enhance the landscaping, but even little things like picking up litter and debris will give the buyer an impression of cleanliness and a sense that the property is well taken care of. Ask your association if it’s okay to plant some flowers near the entrance and find out when the next regular outdoor maintenance is, so you can plan open houses for when the building is looking its best.
Now, if you own a detached single family home or have private outdoor space you are responsible for, this is your chance to shine! Power wash the siding of your house, repair any broken external elements (such as shudders, window panes, gutters, stoop steps, porch supports, patio stones, etc.), and make the front door really pop with a fresh coat of paint. Keep the lawn mowed, shrubs trimmed, trees pruned and gardens weeded. Remove any yard decorations – you may like those cute pink flamingos, but you don’t to detract attention from the home itself. Close the garage door, put yard tools and kids’ toys away, and then have a friend or neighbor come over to give the place the “once over.” As a third party, they can give you fairly unbiased advice about what else needs to be done to make your Chicago home resale ready.
For major defects, like roof or foundation damage, have a professional come out and fix the problems properly. Remember, you’ll be required to fill out a property disclosure report with all the home’s known issues, so you might as well get it resolved beforehand and avoid being negotiated out of the repair costs later on.
We have only covered some of the things you can do on the outside to make your home a contender among all those Chicago houses for sale. Next step: tackling the interior space!