Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Nancy Schrimpf Coldwell Banker Village Properties Special to the Village News
Despite what HGTV would like you to believe, it is rarely wise to make major improvements when preparing to sell your home. Sure, if a celebrity greets you in the aisle of your local home improvement store and offers a free remodel in return for some elbow grease on your part, do it. But if you are paying retail for the improvements and you are doing them to your taste, you are inflating the cost of your home without necessarily matching the taste of your buyers. That's a bad strategy in most cases. So what's a home seller to do?
Try it again but this time with a kitchen counter. First imagine it covered with a blender, a panini maker, a stand-up mixer, a toaster, a stack of mail, a colander of fruit, an espresso maker, your prized copper bowls, Aunt Gertrude's tea set and little Clara's homework. Then visualize it with just the colander of fruit and try to guess which version will make a buyer say, "Look at these huge counter tops!"
Declutter everywhere to increase the illusion of space and to give your home a peaceful feel.
Every realtor has heard a buyer say, "This one has all the things on my list but it just doesn't feel like home." Packing up your family photos and knick knacks before welcoming buyers makes it easier for your buyers to imagine their own belongings in a home. Turn your house into a place that will feel like home to a buyer; depersonalize.
Instead, open the window a crack if you live in a colder climate or throw them all wide open if you live in warmer climates. Place a dish of vinegar near the stove when you cook. Throw citrus peels down the disposal when you are done with that orange or lime. If you have rosemary growing in your garden or sitting in your spice drawer, put it in a bowl near the source of a smell. When all else fails, take the smelly item outside. If the smelly item is a small child, be sure and watch it carefully while it is out there.
Take a little extra time and be sure you are working with the right agent. Your home will most likely sell faster and you will definitely be happier throughout the selling process, and that latter part is worth its weight in gold.
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