Staging and Preparing To Sell Your Home

Getting ready to sell, making the most of what you have

As you prepare to list you home on the market, you probably have lots of questions about how you can improve viewings of your home and increase the value. While we all believe that our home is our castle, our personal tastes may not appeal to everyone. At VHM, we work with you to give you an impartial analysis of your home - how it relates to other "competing" homes on the market and how your home reflects current design and style trends. We also also take a good look at the general condition and upkeep of your dwelling.

What can you do?

You can begin the process of staging your home for sale before your house is listed. With a critical eye, examine your home from outside and inside.

Bring along a pad of paper and take notes! Determine what can be solved by a simple cleaning and what needs professional attention and repair. Your list should also include problems that are immediately evident and underlying problems you know of, like a leaky basement.

What to look for

Exterior

• Cluttered yard
• Weeds crowding the garden
• Loose or dangling exterior features (like a broken door)
• Paint peeling
• Broken fence
• An oil-stained or damaged driveway
• Roof shingles in good shape
• Gutters in good condition and free of debris
• Trim back overgrown trees or shrubs
• Remove lawn decorations

Interior

• Is what you see clean and organized?
• Is there an odour?
• Clean your carpets and air out your home
• Wash walls and repaint soiled areas
• Touch up chips or plaster nicks
• If you've used dark colours on your walls, you may wish to repaint your home so that has a more neutral move-in appearance
• Check the ceiling and plaster and repaint it white if necessary

Kitchen

• Clean the stove and refrigerator
• Organize the cupboards and wash the floor
• Make certain your appliances work
• Wipe the walls, touch-up paint or re-stick wall paper if necessary
• Clean the sink and ensure that it drains properly and the faucet doesn't leak

Bathroom

• Replace moldy shower curtains
• Clean mold and mildew off of bathroom tiles
• Caulk if necessary
• Repair leaky faucets
• Replace cracked toilet seats
• Ensure that the toilet flushes properly
• Make certain that the drains are unclogged

Floors and Stairs

• Replace missing or damaged tiles
• Is there any wood rot?
• Do the floors look clean?
• Does the wood need a good sanding and varnishing?
• Are your stairs creaky?
• Are the handrails loose?
• Are there any missing pieces?

Doors and Windows

• Structural or surface damage
• Do the doors need repainting?
• Do the hinges squeak?
• Are the door knobs worn - and do they work?
• Are the windows drafty or are they properly caulked?
• Are they easy to open?
• Are they clean?

Plumbing and Electricity

• Are there leaky pipes or electrical outlets that don't work?
• Replace any broken switch or outlet covers and match switches and covers to the room decor.
• Have them repaired before you put your home on the market.

Furnace and Air Conditioner

• Replace the furnace filter
• Have the furnace and air conditioner professionally serviced