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| how your castle looks |
Tips To Sell Your House
Get Top Dollar
DIY the work
Before you list with a Realtor.
Before you think about price this spring.
It’s time to get your ducks in a row, or flying
into someone else’s clutter pile.
Pick up used cardboard wine boxes or clean used boxes from
Bevmo or local liquor store. These are less likely to have an odor or critters
that vegetable boxes might carry. Initially you need 10 per room.
In my area Amvets and Saint Vincent De Paul picks
up donations curbside or in front of your garage. You may also call Salvation
Army, Goodwill, Vietnam Vets and Habitat for Humanity for pick up information.
Call and schedule pick up for about ten days from today. Give yourself a
weekend for the first load.
This is a process of loads.
https://satruck.org/donate/choose https://goodwill.org https://pickupplease.org/california/ donationtown.org/charity/veterans/
Make three piles of everything in each room: a)
would die without b) might use it c) don’t know where the other part is/ it is
too small/ has a hole I never fixed/ is worn/ is ugly. Take the C piles out to
your garage or staging area. Place all the C piles into boxes labelled for pick
up outside and let them go.
How buyers see your house
You may want to go through the time and effort to
plan a garage sale; but expect to sell each of your items for less than a
dollar. This is a good way to get rid of furniture and large items you are
hanging on to in the garage. Run a free
add in Craigslist – no phone number, do not say you are moving. Run a free ad
in whatever you might. Make 15 cardboard signs which have direction arrows and
brief address. The purpose of the garage sale is to recycle items. Take any
offers they give you. If you have the item ready to sell it’s better to get
fifty cents than donate as our tax donations are now deeply limited. DO NOT
allow anyone in your home. Do not tell them personal information. Have twenty+ one dollar bills and a roll of quarters for
change. Don’t take any bills over twenty dollars. Wear clothing with pockets
and keep change on your body.
Okay now you removed a little bit of the clutter.
Don’t put everything back yet.
Get painting quotes to repaint the walls all one
neutral color. I’m not saying Navaho White but a cream/ beige/ off white/ dove
gray or such that blends with your flooring.
Scrub
inside of everything. You now have clothing and pots and pans in the middle of
the room. Start the deep clean from inside out. Scrub behind the refrigerator.
Use de-greaser on the stove and under the stove. You need a gallon of cheap
white vinegar, a couple big boxes of baking soda, a gallon of no drip bleach,
40 rags half of which should be microfiber rags, two 5-gallon buckets, a squeegee,
Mrs. Meyer's
vegetable-protein-based Clean Day Countertop Spray or Siege Premium
Kitchen Degreaser. You might prefer
a product that cuts through faster but make sure you have all the windows open
and a fan running as old-fashioned oven cleaner gets the gunk off but is not
good for your lungs. Every surface should be clean. Wait to do mirrors, windows
and glass surfaces last. Vacuum twice.
Rent a carpet cleaner the big blue commercial one
from Home Depot but plan this in advance it’s a whole day ordeal. Since you are
renting by the hour get the house set up Before you rent. Move or stack
furniture on the not carpeted areas. P the store brand.
Clean all areas once. Rinse the gross
water out of the machine. It’s a good idea to set up some box fans to speed the
drying process. The fumes from the wet carpet are not healthy. Imagine that
brown water evaporating. Now time to rinse the carpet. Clean out the carpet
cleaner get all the gunk out of it. Fill with very hot water and a cup of white vinegar. Clean all the carpet a second time as a rinse load. Allow to dry. Put old towels
down on walk ways. Did it come clean enough or must be replaced?
Second purge. No not as gory as the movie series. The house is getting into shape. Return clothing you wear for work and important daily wears neatly into to closets and drawers. Shirts are folded in threes with the chest up. Hangers all face the same way. Think military creases.
Okay now we have the B items. Put these in boxes.
Get the painter in
or take on this job yourself. Paint is cheap but the most vital improvement you
can invest to sell your house. Every man who came into my house frowned at the girly
French country sentimental feeling (which I loved). Your wallpaper choice, your
purple child’s room or sunny yellow kitchen triggers is a decision maker. Do I hate on this flocked gold
wallpaper? Do I despise the boho chic lamps? This is where their mind goes. Strip and steam off the wallpaper.
Next is repairs.
Make a list. You know where the rusty hose bib sits, the musty closet, the broken hinge waits; but, after a while it all becomes a
project for later or character of the house. Time to get the ticker list and a
handyman to order all the parts and spend a day repairing all the visible
imperfections and things you put off fixing. If you are brave start watching YouTube
videos on how to replace or rewind your garbage disposal. Even if you start and leave it to the handyman, you learned something.
Okay now you are
going to sort the B items. Some will be mementos, photographs, holiday
ornaments, religious items, and costume jewelry. Box those up for storage. Box
up all your jewelry except what you will wear every day and medications for
storage as well. Only keep the thirty-day supply of medication y below one percent a year,
or something better you are getting your load light to move and maximizing
price of your home.
Do you have a
creative friend? The friend whose house looks perfect and they always have their outfit right. Invite them for dinner and free advice. He/she may tell you to discard some more items. Go put them in the
garage. Surfaces of counters should have three items. What you say – what about
my collections? The collections go into storage. My son had a collection
of 400 match box cars dating from 1953 and many were stolen during open houses
and heaven knows by whom during the last home sale I went through.
Power wash the
exterior of the home. Power washing may reveal you need to paint the exterior. can you get away with only painting the front door?
Yard clean up, Trim
back everything. Clean out dead branches. Open views and light to windows.
Order a load of mulch (cheaper direct from yard by a truck than by the bag but
dragging the bags is easier than a wheelbarrow -you decide) The mulch will come
in a week or so after you finish the clean-up. Did your do g leave holes in the
grass? Buy a bag of rye grass or suitable grass seed for your climate zone and
lawn type and re-seed all the holes. Scratch the dirt surface, sprinkle seed,
cover with a little dirt and mulch and keep it wet. Every new spot you will be
patching up. Where I live there are two wholesale plant supply depots. Find
yours. Plan to plant one color to accent the exterior color of the home.
I didn’t
say you must repaint but how does it look? I can’t tell you the magic flower
bed color, this depends on what is available, season and color of your
exterior. Send me a photo of the front of your home, I’ll tell you the colors. Spruce up yourself.
Go to a mortgage banker and have them run your credit and income to see what
you can buy down or up.
Call me I do this for free and help you get that FICO higher to get the best rate.
You have time. Let’s do this.
Call me (949) 784- 9699
Next stage is another post. After you got the house all pretty
how to search for the best Realtor, how to save money on closing, how to find
your next home.
In my area Amvets and Saint Vincent De Paul picks up donations curbside or in front of your garage. You may also call Salvation Army, Goodwill, Vietnam Vets and Habitat for Humanity for pick up information. Call and schedule pick up for about ten days from today. Give yourself a weekend for the first load.
This is a process of loads.
https://satruck.org/donate/choose https://goodwill.org https://pickupplease.org/california/
Make three piles of everything in each room: a) would die without b) might use it c) don’t know where the other part is/ it is too small/ has a hole I never fixed/ is worn/ is ugly. Take the C piles out to your garage or staging area. Place all the C piles into boxes labelled for pick up outside and let them go.
 |
| How buyers see your house |
You may want to go through the time and effort to plan a garage sale; but expect to sell each of your items for less than a dollar. This is a good way to get rid of furniture and large items you are hanging on to in the garage. Run a free add in Craigslist – no phone number, do not say you are moving. Run a free ad in whatever you might. Make 15 cardboard signs which have direction arrows and brief address. The purpose of the garage sale is to recycle items. Take any offers they give you. If you have the item ready to sell it’s better to get fifty cents than donate as our tax donations are now deeply limited. DO NOT allow anyone in your home. Do not tell them personal information. Have twenty+ one dollar bills and a roll of quarters for change. Don’t take any bills over twenty dollars. Wear clothing with pockets and keep change on your body.
Okay now you removed a little bit of the clutter. Don’t put everything back yet.
Get painting quotes to repaint the walls all one neutral color. I’m not saying Navaho White but a cream/ beige/ off white/ dove gray or such that blends with your flooring.
Scrub inside of everything. You now have clothing and pots and pans in the middle of the room. Start the deep clean from inside out. Scrub behind the refrigerator. Use de-greaser on the stove and under the stove. You need a gallon of cheap white vinegar, a couple big boxes of baking soda, a gallon of no drip bleach, 40 rags half of which should be microfiber rags, two 5-gallon buckets, a squeegee, Mrs. Meyer's vegetable-protein-based Clean Day Countertop Spray or Siege Premium Kitchen Degreaser. You might prefer a product that cuts through faster but make sure you have all the windows open and a fan running as old-fashioned oven cleaner gets the gunk off but is not good for your lungs. Every surface should be clean. Wait to do mirrors, windows and glass surfaces last. Vacuum twice.
Clean all areas once. Rinse the gross water out of the machine. It’s a good idea to set up some box fans to speed the drying process. The fumes from the wet carpet are not healthy. Imagine that brown water evaporating. Now time to rinse the carpet. Clean out the carpet cleaner get all the gunk out of it. Fill with very hot water and a cup of white vinegar. Clean all the carpet a second time as a rinse load. Allow to dry. Put old towels down on walk ways. Did it come clean enough or must be replaced?
Second purge. No not as gory as the movie series. The house is getting into shape. Return clothing you wear for work and important daily wears neatly into to closets and drawers. Shirts are folded in threes with the chest up. Hangers all face the same way. Think military creases.
Okay now we have the B items. Put these in boxes.
Get the painter in or take on this job yourself. Paint is cheap but the most vital improvement you can invest to sell your house. Every man who came into my house frowned at the girly French country sentimental feeling (which I loved). Your wallpaper choice, your purple child’s room or sunny yellow kitchen triggers is a decision maker. Do I hate on this flocked gold wallpaper? Do I despise the boho chic lamps? This is where their mind goes. Strip and steam off the wallpaper.
Next is repairs. Make a list. You know where the rusty hose bib sits, the musty closet, the broken hinge waits; but, after a while it all becomes a project for later or character of the house. Time to get the ticker list and a handyman to order all the parts and spend a day repairing all the visible imperfections and things you put off fixing. If you are brave start watching YouTube videos on how to replace or rewind your garbage disposal. Even if you start and leave it to the handyman, you learned something.
Okay now you are going to sort the B items. Some will be mementos, photographs, holiday ornaments, religious items, and costume jewelry. Box those up for storage. Box up all your jewelry except what you will wear every day and medications for storage as well. Only keep the thirty-day supply of medication y below one percent a year, or something better you are getting your load light to move and maximizing price of your home.
Do you have a creative friend? The friend whose house looks perfect and they always have their outfit right. Invite them for dinner and free advice. He/she may tell you to discard some more items. Go put them in the garage. Surfaces of counters should have three items. What you say – what about my collections? The collections go into storage. My son had a collection of 400 match box cars dating from 1953 and many were stolen during open houses and heaven knows by whom during the last home sale I went through.
Power wash the exterior of the home. Power washing may reveal you need to paint the exterior. can you get away with only painting the front door?
Yard clean up, Trim back everything. Clean out dead branches. Open views and light to windows. Order a load of mulch (cheaper direct from yard by a truck than by the bag but dragging the bags is easier than a wheelbarrow -you decide) The mulch will come in a week or so after you finish the clean-up. Did your do g leave holes in the grass? Buy a bag of rye grass or suitable grass seed for your climate zone and lawn type and re-seed all the holes. Scratch the dirt surface, sprinkle seed, cover with a little dirt and mulch and keep it wet. Every new spot you will be patching up. Where I live there are two wholesale plant supply depots. Find yours. Plan to plant one color to accent the exterior color of the home.
I didn’t say you must repaint but how does it look? I can’t tell you the magic flower bed color, this depends on what is available, season and color of your exterior. Send me a photo of the front of your home, I’ll tell you the colors. Spruce up yourself. Go to a mortgage banker and have them run your credit and income to see what you can buy down or up.
Call me I do this for free and help you get that FICO higher to get the best rate.
You have time. Let’s do this.
Call me (949) 784- 9699
Next stage is another post. After you got the house all pretty how to search for the best Realtor, how to save money on closing, how to find your next home.