People feel about their homes the same as they do about their children: They just KNOW that they are PERFECT - So, you are not alone! Unfortunately prospective buyers don't always agree with the current property owners.
There unfortunately are some eagle-eyed people out there that will pick up on all those little things you have managed to live with quite comfortably for years. These people will mutter about them (often quite loudly), touch them, knock on them (often quite violently), fiddle with them and stare at them as if it is a big deal. And for those people they may just turn out to be totally insufferable.
The little things are a big deal
The little things about your property that turn out to bug prospective buyers can end up becoming a big deal. People are funny things: bad things have a way of being blown out of all proportion in their minds.
Prospective buyers may start thinking about fixing the little things, and before long will be waving their arms and discussing the sweeping changes, alterations and improvements that will have to be made before they can even think of moving in. And suddenly the (inexplicable) bump under the carpet has turned into major construction!
So, if you don't want to sell your property as a fixer-upper, it would be best to take care of those little, inexpensive things before going to market. It can save (or even earn) you a lot of money when selling.
Don't deny it
Hey, admitting that your house might be just a little less than perfect is not something to be ashamed about. Looking past the imperfections of the ones we love is only human nature, after all. Our homes become alive and get personalities as we interact with them, so this overlooking of the little things applies to our beloved homes as well.
The repairs we are talking about will only take a little time, a little money and a little elbow grease to take care of. If something mayor was amiss you would have called in the professionals already, wouldn't you? So this is just like "wiping the slate" for the next owner who will come and get to know and love the house, as you did.
Get fresh eyes to help
Because you have been living in and loving your home for years, you might need some fresh eyes to spot those little niggles for you. Ask a good and honest friend to lend you their eyes for an hour or two.
The idea is to inspect the property thoroughly and getting all the kinks sorted out, so for the duration of the inspection you are not allowed to make any excuses.
Remember: no excuses.
And don't skip over anything. Buyers have a way of locking on to that one thing you decided they would never notice.
Inspect the property
Go through your home room by room. A good method is to keep turning right untill you end up back where you started. Inspect each room in the same way, always moving to your right.
Use a seperate page of note paper for each room to jot down all the things that need attention. You are looking for stuff that are loose, rickety, dirty, smelly, dull, noisy, cracked or not working.
Fix and clean everything
Take the list for each room and correct every item from top to bottom. The Internet is a great place to find hints and advice about fixing stuff around the house. And if you find any nifty ideas out there, please post them here on RealFact.net for the rest of us, won't you?
If you are not the handy DIY type, your local rental agent will know of a good maintenance man you could contact to do the repairs for you. Your list will come in handy when asking for a quote for the repairs.
After fixing and cleaning, go through the inspection again, always turning right, to make sure that everything is sorted.
Your house don't need fixing!
Now your house should be in tip top shape. No buyer will have anything to complain about and everyone will have a chance to see how special the property is.
Your ideal buyer will be greeted by your ideal home. A sale is inevitable!
