Selling a home is like running a business; you have to take emotion out of the equation. If you don't then you will remain being a home owner rather than a seller. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with being a homeowner because it does show that you care about the home, but it can hinder the sale of the home faster and for more money. For example home owners may overlook small issues like squeaky doors with rusty hinges, damaged window screens and chipped paint on the outside of the garage, but to the buyer those are big issues.
If you think like a buyer, would you want your new home to have those things wrong with the house? Of course not, because when someone moves into a new home whether its 10 years old or 50 years old, the buyers want their new house to look as new as possible.
Since you are in the "business" of being a seller it's up to you to give the buyers what they are looking for and to come close to their expectations. By doing so you may sell the home faster and for more money even in this economy. After all, keep in mind that this is a buyers market and there's a lot of competition out there.
Buyers usually have certain items on their wish list for a new home and in many ways you can meet their expectation and at times even surpass them.
We all want the best for the least. That's true when it comes to electronics, cars and even houses. The home buyer's objective is to purchase a home that's as close to being a new home as possible and at the same time pay the least amount for it.
Most likely you are not going to totally renovate your home because, first it's not cost effective, and secondly if you did you would probably just stay there.
The easiest thing you can do is just make sure everything is as clean and beautiful as a new home should look like which may include getting out your old toothbrush and cleaning the grout in the bathroom as well as your stove and countertops. Buyers can always spot areas that are not shiny and clean.
Besides having a clean house everything must work. If there are any windows that won't open because they've been painted over and over again and are now sealed shut by the paint or if there are any loose floorboards, torn carpeting or even holes in the walls all of these things need to be fixed for a successful sale. All of these types of items should be dealt with before the first potential buyer walks into your home because once a buyer sees that your home is full of issues that need to be fixed, their interest in your home may be out the window.
Unfortunately, normal "wear and tear" does not matter for some home buyers. They want a house to be as close to new looking as possible or even better.
When you open your home to show it to potential buyers your home must look as perfect as possible. Sadly, no home is completely perfect and that's especially true on moving day when the buyer may see the home next. If the buyers don't remember how perfect your home looked the last time they were there for the open house you might face a problem with the final walk through inspection.
It would be in your best interest to defuse that possible situation before it happens by making sure your home is as clean as possible on moving day. This is when high traffic areas are seen in carpet or that the flooring below the refrigerator was severely scuffed when it was installed when you first bought it. This is the time to get out your spray and polish cleaners, rags and some elbow grease and give the home one final and thorough cleaning. This should help make the final inspection go much more smoothly.
Seeing things through the eyes of a buyer will help you find the issues that need to be addressed. Anything you can do to make your home look as wonderful as possible to potential buyers, while showing them your pride of ownership, will benefit both you and the buyer.