Jacksonville Real Estate Ramblings

Things you can do to get your home ready to sell, that won't break the bank!

Let's say, your real estate agent sent you some houses for sale and one caught your eye. You click on the pics and this kitchen on the right popped up. What do you think of it? Nice cabinets and lots of counter space but very cluttered, which actually makes it look smaller!  If you're trying to sell your Jacksonville home, this does not show your house in the best light. What if you're in a short sale situation and you don't have any extra money to spend to make it look better? Take a look below....

 Let's take another look at the same kitchen, but this time, the mini  appliance store has been put away. Huge difference!  The counters look larger and it just looks clean. Didn't cost me a dime, I just hid everything in the cabinets. Speaking of cabinets, declutter those too. Sell or give away whatever you don't use to your local  foster closet.

Here's a kitchen of an actual home I listed in Green Cove Springs. The seller's did an awesome job of decluttering, without me saying a word. It paid off for them and sold under 90 days. 

The little things can make a big difference in how fast and for how much your home sells for. If you're thinking of selling your home in Jacksonville, Orange Park, Fleming Island and surrounding areas, but don't know where to start in getting your home ready to sell, call me at 904-910-3516 or send me an email at pam@pamgraham.com.  I offer my seller's a free Pinnacle Home Value Report, that details what you can do in every room to help maximize your home's selling potential.

Want to landscape on a budget and without having to have a green thumb? Check out, my listing agent wants me to landscape for better curb appeal.

 Doesn't she know I'm on the green thumbs of America's most wanted list for killing the most plants by a single person???

I've seen that look of fear in the seller's eyes, when I suggest for them to spruce up their yard, when putting their Northeast Florida home up for sale. It doesn't matter whether their home is located in Clay, Duval or St Johns County, the same fear is everywhere!  Beads of sweat dripping from their foreheads, nervous bounce of one, sometimes both their legs. They stutter as they talk, their hands shake. They try to escape to a room, farthest from me. Oh, wait, that's the reaction I get from my kids, when I ask to see their report card! I've never seen a seller react like that before, well at least not in front of me.

On a more serious note, some sellers have green thumbs and some, just don't. Some are on a budget and don't want, nor can't spend a fortune on making their house have better curb appeal. The great thing with landscaping, more is NOT better! If you choose plants native to our area and are fast growers, it is less expensive.

What about the destroyers of plants and everyone else who doesn't have the time? Take a look at the picture below. What do you think of this landscape?

The flowers closet to the pavers are fake. Can't tell, can you? Fake flowers are great to use, because you can't kill them, you don't have to water, prune or feed them! As long as you switch them out with the change of season, it's hard to tell they are fake.

Here's a few more:

Hard to tell their fake, isn't it?  And the other nice thing is, you can pick these flowers up at any store that sells fake flowers like Michael's, Walmart or Joanne Fabrics. You don't have to drive all over the place to find them!

Thinking of selling? Here are some time tested tips to get you started.

Outside:

1. Clean or paint your front door. Simple, but makes a huge impact when a buyer is walking up to enter your home. If it's faded, or shows signs of needing repair, clean it, stain it, or paint it. While you're on a roll, do the same with the back door and garage door.

2. Make sure your front lawn looks neat and tidy to make the first impression favorable. Cut the grass and trim the hedges and shrubs. **EXTRA** If you have a dog, make sure you clean up their land mines, nothing worse than stepping on one of those during a showing.

3. Check your roof for shingles or flashing that needs replacing. Here in Florida. we get algaeand every few years needs to be cleaned off the roof or  it will make your roof look older than it really is.

4. Repainting your entire exterior o your home can be rather costly and time consuming and really unnecessary unless the walls have bad blistering or peeling. You can do wonders just by painting window sashes, trim and shutters.

5. Remove all dead limbs and debris. (HINT: Hire one or two of the neighborhood kids) Give the lawn a fresh raking and the sidewalk and driveway a good sweeping. If you're really want to make a good impression, pressure wash the sidewalk and driveway.

Inside:

6. A grungy bathroom can really turn off a prospective buyer. Make each bathroom look like a guest bath. Polish the toilet, tub and bathroom sink. Clean all tile, grout and caulk, replace cracked tiles, and re-grout if necessary.

7. Remember the commercial where the birds are having a ball with the homeowner, who has a sliding glass door that is so clean, he keeps running into it? You want your windows, mirrors and glass doors to be that clean. WARNING: You might want to let the buyer know if their heading to a glass door and it doesn't look like they're slowing down.

8. Fix sticking doors and windows, squeaking doors, and wobbly stair banisters.

9. Too much furniture can make a home "feel wrong." So, move out all your excess furniture, especially worn or outdated furniture, to make rooms seem larger and uncluttered, and take down pictures that hide walls.

10.Clean out all of your closets to make them look bigger. Store out of season clothes in the attic, neatly arrange what's left.

There you have it, 10 tips to get your Jacksonville Home ready to sell. These tips were taken from my handout "49 staging tips or selling your home" that I give to my seller clients.

If you're thinking about selling your home in Jacksonville, Orange Park, Clay County, St Johns County or the Beaches, and you want to know how to get your home in tip top selling shape, contact me for my Maximum Home Value Audit, where I will go room by room and give you tips on how you can maximize your space.