We provide real world advice on how to buy and sell a home or business.

First Impressions
How well does your home show from the minute you drive up? Drive to your home from both directions on your street and act as though you are seeing your home for the very first time. Remember to be picky, because most buyers are. Every problem seen will likely lower the value of your home to most buyers. Do not turn away buyers with a poor first impression.

• Have you mowed the lawn and edged?
• Are the shrubs and trees been trimmed neatly?
• Have you raked the leaves in the fall, or shoveled the snow in the winter?
• Are there any piles of junk (examples: yard waste, car parts, old wood pile) on the property that should be removed?
• Is there anything that needs to be repaired?
• Does the house need any fresh paint? (Especially, around the front door trim.)

Kitchens Sell a Home
For many the kitchen is one of the most important parts of a home. Make sure to take care of the following:

• The kitchen must be very clean.
• Clean all of the crevasses in under and around the cabinets and appliances
• Counter tops must be clutter free of mail, paperwork and other non kitchen items.
• The sink must be empty, clean, and free of rust stains.
• Have all drawers and cabinets clean and organized, especially the junk drawer.
• Box up anything in the cabinets and drawers you do not immediately need.
  (It will make them seem larger and cleaner.)

Many activities seem to gravitate toward the kitchen. If a buyer is interested in your home, many times they will be lead back to the kitchen to ask questions.

Clean and Clean Again
We just can not say enough about having a clean and neat home. Every time you clean it can put more money in your pocket when you sell. Plus, clean homes can usually sell over twice a fast.

• Clean the bathrooms thoroughly
• Clean grout and caulk
• Faucets clean and shiney
• Toilets clean and without rust stains
• Toilet seats down during showings
• Remove shampoo, soap, and razors from shower or tub
• Counters cleaned
• Floors mopped
• Carpets vacuumed
• Furniture dusted
• All laundry put away
• All beds made
• Glass shining
• Remove any and all clutter
• Remove stacks of old magazines
• Pack away collectables and family photos
  (This needs to feel like the buyers potential home and your things distract from that.)

Cleaning is the easiest way you can increase the sale price of your home.

Put Your Pets Away
When selling a home some buyers do not like animals, or maybe allergic. Don’t take a chance on losing a sale.
Simply, put your pets away.