Getting your house ready to be sold can seem like an overwhelming undertaking. Like any large project, though, if you take it one step at a time, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish!
The ideal scenario involves having everyone in the family pitch in to keep your house looking its best for each showing. When you divide the labor and work as a team, things get done a lot faster and more efficiently.
Keeping your lawn mowed, bushes trimmed, and house clean on a consistent basis are among the many challenges of always being ready for the next showing. Another common necessity involves applying a fresh coat of paint to walls and other surfaces. That relatively inexpensive step can help make your home look dramatically brighter, vibrant, and more appealing to prospective buyers.
One thing to keep in mind when preparing to put your home on the market is that you (the owner) are probably "too close to the trees to see the forest." In other words, you may be overly accustomed to the appearance, the imperfections, and the décor of your home to be able to identify what needs to be upgraded, fixed, or changed. An experienced real estate agent can help you develop a cost-effective plan for staging your home, enhancing curb appeal, and making necessary improvements to maximize your home's appeal and marketability.
There are dozens of inexpensive things you can do that often have a major impact on the impression you make on potential buyers. Having your carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies professionally steam-cleaned, for example, can make a world of difference! So can adding a few colorful flower arrangements, inside and out. Lots of light -- both natural and artificial -- also helps make your home look more cheerful and inviting. Keeping your windows crystal clear is another way to make a positive impression, as well as cleaning out your closets to avoid a cluttered, unkempt look.
A few other critical things homeowners sometimes forget to do is clean up dog droppings in the yard, fix squeaky hinges, and remove visible mouse traps from the basement and garage -- especially if there are mice in them! The cleanliness of your cat's litter box is another major priority that can easily be overlooked.
Even the most meticulous, conscientious home sellers can forget to clean, prepare, or organize important things before potential house buyers come to visit, so it's useful to create checklists and routines to get ready for scheduled house showings.
While some homes pose more of a challenge than others when it comes to getting ready for real estate showings, the goal is to make the most of what you have, and do so within your available budget and timeframe.
As a lifelong resident of Litchfield County, Heather is quite familiar with the beautiful Northwest Corner of Connecticut. In partnership with her husband at Turri, Inc., in Torrington, she managed and grew a 30+ employee electrical contracting firm that served both the residential, commercial and industrial industries. Currently residing in Goshen she hopes to transfer and utilize many of the skills she learned in contracting to the real estate industry.
Knowing how a vital community relies on its volunteers, Heather spent many hours in several capacities at local organizations that she admires. She serves on the Woodridge Lake Finance Committee and House Committee, Victoria Court Condominium Association (secretary) and Educating Canines Assisting with Disabilities (volunteer and nursery mom). Heather has also been involved with Goshen Community Care & Hospice (president of board of directors), Warner Theatre (board of directors), LARC (volunteer), Festival of Trees (founder), the Northwest Chamber of Commerce, and Goshen Business Circle. Heather also served as Vice President of Woodridge Lake’s Board of Directors.
In Heather’s spare time, she enjoys spending time with family usually in an active way by playing tennis, golf, boating, hiking and skiing.
Heather is honored to be a part of the E.J. Murphy team and hopes you will contact her with any of your real estate needs.
