{"id":48703,"date":"2018-02-27T18:11:52","date_gmt":"2018-02-27T18:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/?p=48703"},"modified":"2018-02-27T18:11:52","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T18:11:52","slug":"7-home-maintenance-tasks-sellers-must-listing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/?p=48703","title":{"rendered":"7 home maintenance tasks sellers must do before listing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Proactive is the buzzword when addressing both cosmetic and mechanical components of a listing<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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It\u2019s that time of year again, the 2018 selling season is upon us. If you have clients getting ready to put their home on the market, the task list to prep for the market can seem endless.<\/p>\n

To make it easy, we\u2019ve compiled a home maintenance list<\/a> for you of the seven things sellers should do before putting that for sale sign in the ground.<\/p>\n

Spruce up the exterior<\/h2>\n
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JuneJ \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Let\u2019s face it, the exterior of the property<\/a> is the first thing a buyer will see whether online or driving by. Now is the time to make sure it looks its best.<\/p>\n

Walk around the entire exterior of the home, and conduct an assessment.<\/p>\n

Consider pressure washing, painting, having the windows cleaned, cleaning out gutters, trimming back any overgrown or dead landscaping, cleaning the front door and changing out any worn door hardware that may look old and corroded. And make sure the front doorbell actually works!<\/p>\n

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The ultimate real estate agent home inspection checklist<\/div>\n
3 steps to help best prepare your sellers for their inspection READ MORE<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Service the heating\/cooling system<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Ozgur Coskun \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A home inspector is going to check this anyway, so beat \u2019em to the punch by having the system serviced and cleaned. When was the last time it was serviced anyway?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s better to take care of any repairs that may need addressing now versus waiting until a buyer decides to make an offer.<\/p>\n

Do a light bulb check<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Jari Hindstroem \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Make sure all of the lightbulbs are working and free of dirt and debris. Yes, these need cleaning too \u2014 just make sure they are off. Don\u2019t forget to check the outdoor lights as well.<\/p>\n

Check the smoke detectors<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Phonlamai Photo \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Maybe sellers took the batteries out the last time they were playing Top Chef<\/em> in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Now is the time to make sure that all smoke detectors are working and have new batteries. Replace any old ones as an inspector is likely to flag those during a home inspection and recommend that they be replaced.<\/p>\n

Blue tape it<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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kurhan \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Conduct a thorough walk through of the interior of the home. If there are any nicks, dents or scratches on the walls and moldings, blue tape them so sellers can go through and have each area repaired.<\/p>\n

The more wear and tear a home appears to have, the more the buyer is going to chip away at the asking price.<\/p>\n

Deep clean, and declutter<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Africa Studio \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Now is the time to give the home that deep clean<\/a> it needs. Consider hiring a cleaning crew to tackle this; the more hands, the better.<\/p>\n

Deep cleaning means wiping down all of the baseboards and moldings and cleaning cabinets, appliances (including the oven) and every corner from top to bottom including light fixtures and ceiling fans.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a good time to gather all those unwanted closet items together to donate as well as any unused furniture and decor. The less stuff in the house, the less there is to organize and keep clean.<\/p>\n

Clear out the garage<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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vipman \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Often overlooked when preparing a home for sale, don\u2019t forget this space. Make sure the garage is clean, in good repair, organized and that you can actually walk through it.<\/p>\n

Consider painting the floor or having an epoxy finish put down. And that ceiling? Buyers also look up when touring this space, so make sure any drywall cracks or loose seams are repaired.<\/p>\n

Buyers recognize and appreciate homes that have been taken care of. Taking some time to invest in home maintenance before selling will likely yield a big payoff when it becomes offer time.<\/p>\n

Cara Ameer<\/a>\u00a0is a broker associate and Realtor with Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. You can follow her on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Article image credited to Golubovy \/ Shutterstock<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Proactive is the buzzword when addressing both cosmetic and mechanical components of a listing   It\u2019s that time of year again, the 2018 selling season is upon us. If you have clients getting ready to put their home on the market, the task list to prep for the market can seem endless. To make it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48703"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48715,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48703\/revisions\/48715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}