Six Essential Steps

1. Make cosmetic improvements.
   An attractive, clean and tidy appearance will enhance your home's appeal.

   • Keep the lawn mowed & walks cleared
   • Wash the windows squeeky clean
   • Open the shades and curtains to create a bright, inviting atmosphere
   • Declutter the house, especially the kitchen and bathrooms
   For some great ideas and examples of how a house should look for sale,visit Dekora's gallery of homes before and after.
   

   
   

2. Pay attention to details.
   Fixing the minor items can go a long way toward improving that important first impression:

   • Repair leaky faucets
   • Tighten loose door knobs
   • Replace damaged screens
   • Replace broken panes of glass - cloudy sealed-pane units can often be replaced inexpensively, and will drastically improve the appearance of a window or patio door.
   • Replace burned-out light bulbs & broken light fixtures
   • Secure loose railings
   • Patch small holes in walls and ceilings and repaint
   • Repair or replace faded or peeling wallpaper
   • Repair and coat the driveway

   

   

3. Make maintenance improvements.
   The maintenance improvements listed below are relatively easy and inexpensive to make, yet can substantially improve a home's appearance (value), efficiency and comfort.

   • Trim trees and shrubs
   • Apply new caulking and weatherstripping as needed around windows and doors
   • Clean gutters of debris and leaves, repair or replace cracked or broken gutters, downspouts and extensions to ensure proper drainage
   • Replace bathroom caulk or grout where necessary
   • Ventilate & dehumidify closed basements and crawl spaces
   • Grade soil around the house to prevent ponding of water next to the foundation
   • Replace dirty filters in the heating and ventilating systems
   • Have the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems professionally serviced
   • Have chimneys professionally cleaned & inspected

   

4. Take safety precautions.
   Protect your home and its occupants from danger.
   Good ideas that create a great impression:

   • Install quality smoke detectors
   • Install quality carbon-monoxide detector
   • Ensure adequate outdoor lighting shows off house too
   • 'GFCI' outlets outdoors and in wet locations such a bath & laundry areas
   • Keep the stairwells tidy and free of debris and obstructions including around
   • the electrical panel and furnace
   • Keep flammables and combustibles away from the furnace and other utility areas
   • If you have direct entry from the garage to the interior of the home, consider installing a hydraulic or other form of auto-closure device on the door.
   • Check the tension on garage doors 

   

5. 

   Check the major systems.
   A primary concern for home buyer's is the condition of the basic structure and major mechanical systems. Most buyers have great fear of the cost to repair these critical areas:

   • Roof structure and covering
   • Foundation, basement, and/or crawl space
   • Central heating and air conditioning systems
   • Electrical system
   • Plumbing system

   

6. Prepare for the buyer's inspection.
   Find the various house records that can be used to answer questions from the purchaser and their inspector:

   • Appliance receipts, service records and warranties
   • Age of major components such as the roof, furnace, air-conditioner, etc.
   • Major component warranties
   • Heating, water and electric bills from at least the past 12 months