Put the WOW in your short sale home

Short sales really need the WOW factor

In today’s market, sellers are having a hard time getting the interest and prices that they are looking for. This is especially true of short sale homes. As a REALTOR in Aurora, I've noticed some trends with short sale homes. Here are a few things that you can do to spruce up your home. Most people think that if they paint the inside, it will sell their home. What they aren't thinking about is the first impression. What does the outside of your home look like?

1) Wash and paint the outside. This may seem like a major expense, but if your prospective buyers are turned off before they even walk inside, then you've already hurt your chances of selling to them.

2) How does your yard and landscaping look? Often, with just a few dollars and a weekends worth of time, you can really change those first thoughts.

3) Clean up and repair. Fix the screens on your windows and doors, wash the windows, and spray down the front steps and driveway.
Now that you've got them inside, don't blow it.

4) Clean the carpets, buff the hardwood floors, polish the cabinets.

5) Rearrange your furniture. This may sound strange, but if your buyers can't see their furniture in the home, they won't be as likely to want it. But just moving things into other rooms, can make a huge difference.

6) If possible, get warranties on your big appliances, this gives the buyer a piece of mind.

7) The interior probably does need painting, but don't use just straight white, odd colors or paint each room in a theme. Use something simple like a light yellow for the walls and a cream for the trim.

8) If it's broken, fix it. Most items that need to be fixed, mildew, holes in the walls ect can be taken care of easily and inexpensively. The upside is that it will drastically improve the overall impression of your home.

9) Tidy up the places you take for granted. Roll the refrigerator out, clean inside the closets and by all means do a deep cleaning on the kitchen and bathrooms.

10) Go as green as you can. Get energy efficient light bulbs, better insulation and replace outdated fixtures.

For more information on what to do in a short sale situation, please go to my web site