A Pre-Sale Home Makeover Priority List

Imagine your feet up enjoying this cozy fire.

If you’ve toured an open home in Marin recently you may have noticed how the kitchen and garage sparkle, the bookshelves are orderly and aligned, the closets make the owners look like zen minimalists with ample open space for all your things.

The perfectly staged home provides a clean pallet for the buyer’s imagination and space for their aspirations to move in. Even if you aren’t selling anytime soon the act of prepping for sale can give you a new lease on your home.

Do a walk through and look at the house through the discerning eyes of a prospective buyer looking for all the flaws and make changes. Dust off that list of “honey do” projects that have been neglected for years. Creating the perfect home for the future buyer may even result in you falling in love again.

Making Space and Sparkle

Slim it down- Get rid of bulky furniture that may make a room look small or be difficult to move around.

Do a deep clean -Give every surface, nook and cranny of your home a good scrubbing. Hire professional cleaners. Clean grout, high ledges, leave no stone unturned.

Unstuff your closets - People love storage and they love to open closets and see virtually empty, organized storage. To give that important impression of spaciousness, clear out most of your stuff and organize what is there with baskets, dividers and boxes.

Unclutter - Remove most items from all surfaces so that your home looks like a zen monk lives there. All the better to show off your home’s excellent bones.

Pay Attention to Smells - Replace carpet soiled by pet odors and if you are in house selling mode air out all the nooks and crannies. To entice the imagination of your prospective buyers you can even bake cookies or having a diffuser wafting the smell of pine or the ocean for the open house.

Make it anonymous - Remove any personal photos and your kids’ artwork. Buyer’s want you out before they move in so give buyers the space to envision their own vacation photos on the mantelpiece.

A Fresh Start With New Looks

Now that we’re cookin’-Consider a facelift with a minor kitchen renovations including painting cabinet doors, swapping out appliances with stainless steel and replacing counters with stone or manufactured stone for a more contemporary look.

Let in the light - Open shades and curtains, clean windows, replace fogged windowpanes, add floor and table lamps, replace burned out bulbs. Replace a door with French doors if possible. Pop in a skylight or add more down lighting.

Upgrade your Curb Appeal - Make the entry to your home shine. Power wash the façade, pathway, porch and front steps. Paint the front door, put in new landscaping, replace the mailbox, use easy to see street numbers and put strategic potted plants by the front door.

Nuetralize It -Keep paint colors neutral. Stick to whites, greige, mocha or carbon which are so au courant right now. Rooms should not be overtly femme or butch, put it in neutral.

Retool the Flooring- At a minimum, have carpets steam cleaned. Replace them if they are old and worn. Clean wood and stone floors or refinish. If there is significant wear install all new manufactured wood floors.

Inspire the Imagination

Set the Scene - Hang a hammock between two trees, toss a cashmere throw on the corner of the sofa with a half open book, set the dining room table with dinner plates and wine glasses. Light a fire in the fireplace. Help the buyers imagine their wonderful life in this home.

Stage the Outdoors-Make sure the garden and landscaping are well groomed, clean the pool, show off the fire pit and make sure outdoor furniture is in good shape. Sprinkle planters around the property.

Create a story with an “extra” room - Each room should have a purpose. Create an office, guest room, meditation space, crafting room with the spare bedroom.

Damage Control

Mitigate Your Shortcomings – If a room is too small, add a mirror or mirrored wall. To cover road noise put in a fountain or pipe in classic rock over the sound system. Plant a few hedges to obscure a next door neighbor’s property that’s a little too close,