Quick Fixes to help sell your home.
Pack it up...
If you are not using it on a daily basis, PACK IT UP and move it out. Get a storage unit and store extra furniture and household items. This will make your home look spacious.
Dirty Bathrooms... SCRUB! SCRUB!
Remove everything from the bathroom and scrub, scrub, scrub. Most buyers don't want to even think about putting their bottoms on anyone else's dirty toilet.
If the caulk around the tub is stained, bleach it. If that does not work, dig it out and replace it. A tube of silicone caulk costs about 3 bucks. A dirty bathroom can cost you thousands.
Remove the fuzzy cover. If the toilet seat is cracked, stained or just nasty go to Home Depot and buy another one. The last time I looked they were $13. They are not hard to replace, just pop the caps on the back hinge, unscrew the bolt and replace it with a new one. While you have the seat off it is a good time to clean around the bolt holes. You will be surprised what you find.
If your shower door is etched with hard water try to clean it with an acid based product. Vinegar may work, but I have used products like Lime-Away and The Works with better results. If it is truly beyond help, take it off and put up a nice white shower curtain. You may have to get some colored caulk to fill the screw holes.
Where I live in Central Arkansas the water is hard and mineral buildup simply won't come off. It is better to remove the shower doors than to leave them. Seriously, remove the glass doors and putty the screw holes. Then hang a white shower curtain!
I have used 'The Works' toilet bowl cleaner to remove rust and hard water stains. The trick is that you can NOT let it stay on any chrome or metal fixtures for more than a few seconds. It will turn them black.
Locks and door handles...
Sticky door locks and handles can use a shot of graphite or WD40. WD40 sometimes attracts dust that turns into gunk, so I go with graphite whenever possible. Tighten the screws on door knobs so they do not wobble. (although mundane, I have seen this too often)
Clean the Kitchen...
Clean everything everywhere. Clean the corners and the baseboards and the grease splatters on the cabinets. Organize your drawers. Buyers will open them.
Pack up all the counter top appliances that you don't use on a daily basis. Your kitchen will have more counter space which equals more $$ in your pocket. If your microwave sits on the countertop, consider putting it in a cabinet.
Clean the vent over the stove. If it is an interior vented hood, remove the screens and put them in the dishwasher. Buyers check these and they stink when they are not clean.
Clean the AC Vents...
Have you been in houses and seen the return AC vent full of lint and dust? Vacuum with a brush attachment. If that does not work, get out your trusty screw driver, remove it and scrub it. If that does not work, paint it with a can of spray paint. Rustoleum makes a good metal paint. A dirty AC vent tells buyers that there is evidence of "deferred maintenance" on the air conditioning units. The Air conditioner is one of the MOST EXPENSIVE appliances to replace.
Also look overhead in every room, black soot and dust blown from the ceiling vents can be stuck to the ceiling. Clean it off. This is especially important if you have a wood burning stove.
Clean the Carpets...
Call in the professionals if the carpet is soiled. In Cabot I prefer "the boys in blue" I have personally tried the steamer people and were less than pleased with the quality of their work.
Windows! Let the Sunshine In!
I sometimes feel that the homes in Central Arkansas are some of the darkest I have ever been in. That may be because I lived in Florida where we welcomed the outdoors into our homes with big sliders and minimal draperies.
You can not help the fact that your home does not have large windows, but you can make certain that the windows in your home let in the maximum light. Clean them inside and out. While you are there, make sure they operate buy raising and lowering them. You will be surprised at how many buyers will open every window in the house before they submit an offer.
If you have draperies, open them. Better yet, remove them all together if you have blinds under them. If you have blinds make sure they are clean and open them!
