For Sale by Owner Basics

As a long-time Realtor in Downtown Colorado Springs, I have seen hundreds of houses come on the market as a FSBO.  I refer to them as Unrepresented Sellers, and if you have never sold your own home before, there is much to learn.

Towards that end, over the years I designed an easy-to-read booklet that I often present to FSBOs with useable information that might help in the sale of their home.  Approximately 25 pages long, each page has information that might be useful as they begin their process of navigating the ‘treacherous’ FSBO waters.

One of the first pages is Absolute Basics in Preparing Your Home for Sale:

• You are going to be moving. Start packing now.
• Air out the home.  Most people are turned off by even the slightest odor.  Odors must be eliminated, especially those caused by dogs and cats, soiled diapers and/or cigarettes.
• If it has been over a year since the carpets have been cleaned, now is the time to do it; bare floors should be waxed or polished.
• Put the brightest light bulb allowed in each socket.  Buyers like “bright.”
• Clean out closets, cabinets, and drawers.  They should look like they have enough room to hold additional items.  People WILL look in your closets.
• Get everything off of the floors and do not have anything piled on shelves.
• Make sure rooms are not overcrowded with furniture.  Select your best pieces and store the rest, even if it’s neatly in your garage.
• Keep bathrooms and kitchen sparkling.  Make sure appliances are clean at all times.
• Bathtubs, showers, and sinks should be freshly caulked.  The grout should be clean and in good condition.
• There should be no leaks in faucets or traps.
• Put away any unnecessary items in the kitchen, bath, bedrooms, family room, living room, dining room.
• Clear off all countertops as much as possible.
• Pack and store NEATLY in garage.
• Keep children’s toys out of yard, sidewalks, off porch.
• Clean ashes out of the fireplace.

Going the extra mile:

• Change outdated wallpaper in entry, kitchen, or bath
• Replace outdated light fixtures
• Paint interior and exterior where needed
• New kitchen appliances can actually make the difference in a Buyer choosing your home over another