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March Dates to Remember |
Quick tips from the field
Quick tips from the field
Five
showing tips
1. Replace
heavy drapes with lightweight sheers during warmer months to give a room a
brighter, lighter feel.
2. Make the fridge
smell fresh instantly with cotton balls soaked in vanilla extract or orange
juice.
3. Help the homeowner
add new fluff to a lumpy comforter by having two people vigorously shake the
quilt up and down to redistribute stuffing.
4. Close some air
conditioning vents on the first floor or basement so that more air will reach
and cool the second floor. Reverse the process in winter for heat vents.
5. Resist the temptation
to spot-clean walls since it will make the rest of the wall look dingy.
Eight
quick fixes to increase value
1. Buff up curb appeal.
You’ve
heard it before, but it’s critical to get buyers to want to look on
the inside. Be objective. View your listings from the street. Check the condition
of the landscaping, paint, roof, shutters, front door, knocker, windows, house
number, and even how window treatments look from the outside. Add something
special – such as big flower pots or an antique bench – to help
viewers remember house A from B.
2. Enrich with color.
Paint’s
cheap, but forget the adage that it must be white or neutral. Just don’t
let sellers get too avant-garde with jarring pinks, oranges, and purples.
Recommend soft colors that say “welcome,” lead the eye from room
to room, and flatter skin tones. Think soft yellows and pale greens. Tint
ceilings a lighter shade.
3. Upgrade the kitchen and bathroom.
These
make-or-break rooms can spur a sale. But besides making each room squeaky
clean and clutter-free, update the pulls, sinks, and faucets. In a kitchen,
add one cool appliance, such as an espresso maker. In the bathroom, hang a
flat-screen TV to mimic a hotel. Room service, anyone?
4. Add old-world patina.
Make
Andrea Palladio proud. Install crown molding at least six to nine inches in
depth, proportional to the room’s size and architecturally compatible.
For ceilings nine feet high or higher, add dentil detailing, small tooth-shaped
blocks used as a repeating ornament. It’s all in the details, after
all.
5. Screen hardwood floors.
Buyers
favor wood over carpet, but refinishing is costly and time-consuming. Screening
cuts dust, time and expense. It entails a light sanding, not a full stripping
of color or polyurethane, then a coat of finish.
6. Clean out, organize closets.
Get
sorting – organize your piles into “don’t need,” “haven’t
worn,” and “keep.” Closets must be only half-full so buyers
can visualize fitting their stuff in.
7. Update window treatments
Buyers
want light and views, not dated, fancy-schmancy drapes that darken. To diffuse
light and add privacy, consider energy-efficient shades and blinds.
8. Hire a home inspector.
Do
a preemptive strike, since busy homeowners seek maintenance-free living. Fix
problems before you list the home and then display receipts and wait for buyers
to offer kudos to sellers for being so responsible.
(Reprinted from REALTORŪ
Magazine Online [www.realtor.org/realtormag], April 2008 with permission of
the National Association of REALTORSŪ. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.)
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