Tips on Showing Your Home For Quicker and Higher Sale Value

By Pearl Skolnik

The Building • Take responsibility for the entrance to the building and its lobby. This is the first area of your home that a prospective buyer will see, and s/he will be looking for neighbors who care about the building. Before a prospective buyer is due, check the lobby and garden for litter. • Ensure that broken doors, windows and mailboxes are fixed. The Vaad Bayit is responsible for this, but you may need to push them to do it. • Place a wastebasket and plants in the lobby. If the building committee (va'ad) doesn't do it, you do it! It will pay off in a quicker sale at a higher price. A properly maintained building shows buyers: "Here's a building with good neighbors who care about their environment." The Entrance to Your Home • This will be the first thing of your home that the prospective buyer will see and should be clean and neat. Place a mirror or plants or a nice painting in the entrance to add to the welcoming feeling of your home. • Remove hanging coats and hats from the entrance to avoid a messy feeling. Your Home • Ensure that the home is neat and clean. Remove clutter to give a spacious feeling. Whatever can't be removed, cover with a nice tablecloth or some other pretty covering. • It is advisable to remove pets and get rid of any lingering pet odors. • Fresh flowers or live plants and soft classical music add to the good feeling of a house. • Mirrors give a home a spacious feeling. • Ensure the home is heated or cooled to a comfortable temperature and well-lit. • Bake cookies or cake for a warm, heimish feeling and a positive impression of the house. If you're short on time, put cinnamon on cookie sheets and bake. • Bathrooms should be clean and odor-free. Make sure that there is paper out, and that soaps, shampoos and toys are put away neatly. Use an air freshener in the bathroom. • Fix all damp spots. Don't just paint over – fix it up properly. It is unethical to hide defects from the buyer. • Clean, light-colored walls give a feeling of larger rooms and reflect light. If you can, PAINT! Fresh paint adds greatly to market value. Always keep extra for touch-ups. • Open curtains and windows for light and fresh air. If the weather is cold, air out the house well before the buyer visits and leave time for the house to warm up again. • Fix broken windows, doors, shutters, cabinets and cracks in the walls. Buyers tend to exaggerate the cost of repairs and deduct these costs from their offers. A poorly maintained home takes longer to sell and brings in much lower offers. • Put extra furniture in storage. The less there is the bigger the apartment looks. • If you have a garden, invest in a gardener who will make the garden look inviting and appealing. A garden is one of your best selling points. If it's covered in weeds, at least mow them short and even. • No view or ugly view? Try hanging some plants in the window, but ensure that they do not block the light. • A variety of inexpensive decorative items can make all the difference in how your home shows: a new shower curtain and matching accessories in the bathroom, a new welcome mat, cheap light fixtures instead of the "KGB-style" hanging light bulbs. You will be amazed at the difference! • Prepare a page listing all the advantages of your apartment, building and location. Include all the improvements you've added. You want to show buyers why they should buy your flat and justify the price you're asking. Mention distance from bus stops, stores, synagogues, schools and other services. Attach a printed floor-plan of your apartment with correct measurements of the apartment, balconies, garden and storeroom. A copy of the floor plan is usually given with the contract from the builder. Also note the amount of municipal tax (arnona) payments. • If you have a license to build on, have all the information available for the potential buyer to study. If your building is in the process of requesting a collective license, be sure to know at what stage they are and who can provide updated information for further inquiry. • If you have an illegal addition to your property, immediately begin procedures to legalize it. (See article on Legalizing Additions. Banks will not give mortgages on illegally built rooms, thus forcing the buyer to come up with more of his own cash, which he might not have. Be aware that lawyers will not allow the buyer to pay the last payment until the illegal section is legalized or he will request that a significant amount of money be put in escrow until the room is legalized.