How can you help make a positive first impression?
The correct staging of your home can go a long way toward achieving a successful sale at the highest price.

Here are some tips:

• Enhance drive-up appeal by removing clutter, cleaning stains off the driveway and touching up the exterior paint where needed.
• A nicely trimmed and edged lawn always makes a good first impression.
• Remove dead and dying plants and consider adding color with hanging baskets or pots of flowers.
• Sparkling clean windows let the sun shine through.
• Give the carpets a good cleaning to remove stains and odors, or even re-carpet if you feel it's appropriate.
• Cracked or peeled paint and smudges on walls are easy fixes that, once taken care of, can give the home a fresh, new look.

CHECKLIST FOR SELLING YOUR HOME...

You can significantly influence the selling price of your house by preparing it and your property before putting it on the market. Here are suggestions to improve a buyer's first impression on your home.  Review the checklist now, before every open house showing, and before photos are taken.  Check to see exactly what the camera will "see." By all means, look carefully at walls, floors, and ceilings for signs of wear, marks or need for repainting or wallpapering.  And, don't forget to look at trim, including doors and windows.
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CURB APPEAL Property seen from the street

• Healthy, weed-free, neatly cut, trimmed lawn
• Shrubs trimmed neatly
• Trees, shrubs trimmed to not touch the house
• Sealed black-top driveway
• Weed-free driveway, front walk, shrub areas
• Toys, garden tools, clutter removed from yard

 HOUSE EXTERIOR Front view from the street

• Recently painted siding
• Recently painted, touched-up trim
• Repair, repaint, fences, gates
• Clean, align gutters, downspouts
• Wash, align shutters
• Wash all windows, storms, screens

FRONT DOOR ENTRANCE AREA Exterior

• Clean, wash, scrub front steps, porch as needed
• Check front doorbell and bell light
• Replace welcome mat
• Paint or wash storm door, lubricate hinges
• Polish brass door lockset and brass hinges
• Clean and wash front door tread

FRONT DOOR ENTRANCE AREA Interior

• Clear interior entry area or goyer of all clutter
• Reduce volume, clutter in the front hall closet
• Clean and polish the front entry floor
• Wash, polish and replace bulbs in light fixture
• Remove fingerprints, scuff marks on trim, wall
• Paint to lighten and refresh entrance area

LIVING-FAMILY-DINING ROOMS

• Repaint or touch up walls, trim, ceiling
• Repair or replace damaged moulding, trim
• Remove electric plates, clean and replace
• Refinish, clean, wax hardwood and vinyl floors
• Shampoo carpeting

BEDROOMS

• Repaint, repaper, touch up walls, trim, ceiling
• Replace or clean drapes, beddspread, accessories
• Shampoo carpet or clean, polish floors
• Organize, clean out, neaten all closets
• Clear off top surfaces of all bedroom furniture
• Put all clothing away, out-of-sight

KITCHEN

• Paint walls, ceiling, trim white or light color, or wallpaper with small pattern and light colors
• Remove wax, scrub, re-polish floors
• Wash, wipe down, wax cabinets/appliances
• Thoroughly clean range, ovens
• Clean out refrigerator and wash interior
• Empty dishwasher, clean around controls
• Check operation of all appliances
• Neatly arrange and clean food storage areas
• Reorganize and clean out cabinets and drawers
• Neatly arrangeand display dishes in cabinets
• Clear all clutter from counter tops
• Check to see that drawers/doors open easily
• Wash or replace curtains
• Clean or put away pet feeding, watering dishes

BATHS

• Paint or wallpaper using light colors
• Scrub tile, bleach, repair grout
• Check to see that drawers/doors open easily
• Clean, polish floor as appropriate
• Clean out medicine cabinet, wash inside and out
• Seal around tubs and showers
• Check for evidence of water at toilet base
• Replace old toilet seats
• Replace shower window curtains
• Buy a set of new, color coordinated bath linens

LAUNDRY

• Check operation of appliances and clean them
• Clean, organize laundry area, remove clothes
• Provide adequate (bright) light to area

GENERAL

• Remove clutter, papers, unnecessary items
• Replace burned-out bulbs throughout the house
• Remove cobwebs from ceilings, corners
• Remove paint splash on tile, floor cabinets
• Wash, polish all door hardware, handrails
• Reorganize, clean-out all closets
• Replace switches, outlets that don't work
• Add colorful plants, flowers to several rooms
• Replace or rejuvenate pillows, accessories
• Clean out, sweep, organize garage
• Organize, make neat basement and attic storage