Buyers will be curious about storage space and will want to check closets and cabinets. It’s important to ensure these are organized, as it sends a negative message if your storage spaces are cluttered with items falling out.  Remove books and other decorations from bookcases and built ins.   Clean everything off your kitchen counters. Essential items that you use daily can be tucked away in a cabinet or a closet when they’re not in use.  Packing up now to will make your move easier and help you sell your home quickly and for top dollar

Inside kitchen cabinets, neatly stack dishes, and turn the coffee cup handles so they’re facing the same way. In closets, shirts should be neatly hung together in an organized manner, and shoes should be clean lined up in an orderly fashion. Make sure all the clothes in your closet are clean.  No one wants to smell your stinky workout clothes. Move dirty, smelly laundry to the laundry room in a closed hamper or to your car for showings.

When a buyer sees everything organized down to the last detail, it shows that you take care of your possessions and likely took good care of the house.

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Consider renting a storage unit or storage pod which can be used to hold your unused possessions and are easily moved to your new home once your home is sold.

Remove anything that block hallways.  Put into storage distracting furniture, artwork, and empty bookcases.

If you plan on taking certain window coverings, built-in appliances, or fixtures with you, remove them prior to showing the house. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great-grandmother, be sure to take it down before a buyer sees it and asks that it be included with the house. Informing a buyer they cannot have a fixture in the house which enhances it’s appeal can hurt the sale.  Go out and look at other homes for sale in the area and visit a few open houses get an idea of what top selling homes in your area look like.  If you removed any fixtures in your home, replace them with a reasonably priced fixture that updates the house.

Unless your home is due for a major remodel and is being sold ‘as is’, it is generally a good idea to make minor repairs before putting your home up for sale. Replace cracked floor or counter tiles and patch any holes in the walls. Fix leaky faucets and doors that don’t close properly, as well as kitchen drawers that jam. Consider painting walls neutral colors, especially if they’re currently a bold or highly stylized color. Don’t give buyers any reason to remember your home as “the home with the chipping and peeling dark brown paint.”

Once you’ve removed unneeded furnishings and other belongings, consider hiring a professional cleaning crew.  The professional cleaning can: wash the windows inside and out; lightly pressure washer and spraying down sidewalks and the exterior; deep clean and recaulk tubs, showers, and sinks; and polish faucets and mirrors. They will also remove dust and grime from under the furniture, from the inside of cabinets and closets, and everywhere else it might be hiding.  Many times, a deep clean will considerably refresh and revitalize a home.

Open the curtains and blinds and turn on lights. Houses show better when each room is clean and well lit.

Try to maintain this cleanliness by vacuuming daily, sweeping floors, dusting furniture, and keeping the bathrooms and kitchen spotless. Neatly hang up fresh guest towels. Also, keep the toilet clean, freshly flushed with it’s lid closed.

Above all, have your place smelling fresh and clean.   Air out and clean any stale, musty areas. The night before a showing, avoid cooking particularly smelly foods such as fish, garlic or cabbage. These smells can linger the day for a while.  If you have pets, monitor litter boxes, and remove or cage your animals before a showing or move them to a safe contained area in your home so they do not interact with people touring the home, or escape outside etc.

Many times a potential sale is lost quickly if a buyer won’t even get out of their Real Estate Broker’s car because the exterior of your home is not inviting.   Make the exterior more appealing and welcoming by painting your front door and, perhaps, adding a wreath of dried wildflowers, or placing one or two flower pots on your front porch. Hire a landscaper to clean up your lawn and prune or remove overgrown shrubbery.  You may even decided to add a few shrubs or flowering plants. Consider hiring a contractor to fix any cracks on your front steps or walkway. Also, make sure visitors can clearly see your house number so they will know they are at the right address.   Add some seasonal style with a festive-door wreath, planters filled with autumn-colored flowers, or a front porch lined with pumpkins.

Keep the lights on.
Now that days are shorter, be sure that your house is illuminated both on the inside and outside. Brighten rooms by pulling up the blinds and pushing back the window dressings. Keep the front porch and walkway lights on so visitors have a better chance to experience the exterior of your house.

Back inside your North Shore Chicago home, linger in the doorway of each room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer wanting to buy a home in Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka or other parts of the North Shore Chicago.  Remember there are many other similar homes on the market and you want to make sure your home stands out as a superstar.

When you are considering selling your home, just call me.  You do not need to reinvent the wheel  –  I have many resources and insights that will make the transition process of selling your home easy and stress free.