taken from the LA Times 6-22-08 by Marni Jameson
BACK WHEN the real estate market was hot, sellers barely had to do anything. Any extra effort often elicited multiple offers for over the asking price. In today's cool market, however, those same extras can mean the difference between getting one offer or none at all. As inventory grows, a few inexpensive moves can make your house stand apart.
1. Get the right mindset. Once you list your home, detach yourself. Treat it as a commodity, which means making changes that will broaden its appeal but that may erase some of your personal style.
2. Start at the curb. Look at what people see when they pull up. Everything outside should look perfect.
3. Paint -- it's money in a can. Outside, if a good power wash isn't enough, a coat of paint is one of the best facelifts you can give a house for a relatively low price. If you don't want to paint the whole house, do the trim. Inside, paint walls a soft neutral such as warm beige.
4. Focus on the entry. Put some energy into the front door, because it makes a strong first impression. Make an ordinary entry look stately and elegant.
5. Catch up on maintenance. Get around to the repairs you should have been doing all along. Fix the little stuff. Easy fixes show potential buyers that you pay attention to detail, which signals that you must care about the big stuff too.
6. Look for alternatives to expensive or messy upgrades.
7. Consider new appliances. When people see new kitchen appliances, they often see a new kitchen.
8. Add some house bling. Make anything metal in your home look new and shiny. People see shiny new metal and say 'Oooh,' and it's not that expensive. Disregard this if you have original or patina'd hardware, in most cases.
9. Start packing. The average home would show much better if it had 50% less stuff. Since you're already going to move, give yourself a head start by packing away all the clothes, books and dishes you won't need for the next few months. Take out extra furniture, especially if it's blocking the flow of foot traffic. If you can get all the stuff off-site in a moving pod or in storage, do so. If not, stack neat, labeled boxes in the garage.
Mike Bell's note: during showings there can easily be as many as 6 people (2 agents, husband and wife, with their parents that are helping with finances)10. Remove the "you" factor. Sorry but home buyers don't care about your trophies, your hobbies, your taste in art or your photos. Pack all that away. Depersonalizing a home lets buyers imagine themselves in the house. You want people looking at your house, not your wedding photos. In kitchens, leave out just one appliance and, on your desk, just a phone and a lamp. Think nice hotel.
11. Clean house. We often don't notice our own dirt. Look hard, starting with the switch plate by the front door. Wipe it down along with all light switches, doors and baseboards. If you're not the best housekeeper, hire a service. . . . Every surface should sparkle.
12. Banish smells. When people first walk in, they should either smell nothing or a nice scent, like cinnamon or citrus. Set out potpourri, fresh-cut flowers or subtle air fresheners. Have carpets -- if not replaced -- professionally cleaned and deodorized.
