Do you know what room most home sellers overlook? If you haven’t guessed it yet, don’t feel bad. Most homeowners do not even give it a second thought.
The garage is the most overlooked room in the house. The garage is a very important space for most buyers. They are envisioning themselves working in their “shop”, building shelves, trying to picture how their vehicles will fit or how much extra storage it provides them.
It is extremely important for your garage to look clean and uncluttered. You took the time to clean and organize every other room in your house. So why wouldn’t you do the same for your garage? Your buyers will not be able to picture themselves using your garage if it is cluttered and full of your personal belongings.
You are going to have to pack anyway so why not start with the garage. Go through everything and throw away anything that you don’t use. Then pack the rest. Get a short term storage space if you need to.
Cleaning and organizing your garage so that your buyers can visualize themselves using it could make or break the sale. Additionally, an orderly garage could add value to the price of your home. If your buyers can’t see the full potential of the space, they can’t visualize themselves using it!
Here are a few tips to help clean and organize your garage:
• Go through everything and throw away anything you don’t use
• Pack and put into a storage anything that you don’t use that distracts from the organized look of the garage
• Dust all of the walls and don’t forget to sweep the cobwebs out of the corners and off of the ceiling
• If the garage has cabinets or shelves, make sure they are clean, uncluttered and organized
• Remove everything from the floor that doesn’t need to be there
• Remove all chemicals and flammable items. Not all buyers keep a close eye on their children
• Make sure your garage door opener is functioning correctly, including a working light bulb
• Clean your garage floors and if your garage floor has oil spills or any other type of spills, clean them thoroughly
• After you clean your garage floors, paint them with cement paint to add a “like new” fresh and clean look to them
• If your garage walls have any sheetrock damage, have them repaired
• A fresh coat of paint in your garage will also help make your home seem newer, well kept and shows pride of ownership. This gives the buyer a sense that if you took such good care of the garage, you must have taken equal care with your homes maintenance and this will add value in the mind of the buyer
• Don’t forget to paint the garage door as well. Because often times this is the first thing the buyer sees
Remember, you only get one chance to make a good first impression! Be sure to tell your realtor if your garage has any special features so they can point them out to perspective buyers. Ask your realtor for any other tips and tricks you can use to sell your home more quickly and for more money. They will be more than happy to share ideas that they have used successfully in the past to help sell your home!
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