Contractor Pay
Do not pay your contractor and Subs all the money up front before a job is even started. If you must put money on a job 25% is substantial and then walk through and throughly inspect it before the next installment or final payment is due. The job should be finished to your satisfaction before you make that final payment.

First Impressions
Studies have shown that home buyers will decide if this is the right house for them in the first 17 seconds. Remember you only get that first chance to make a Great first Impression!!

Letting Go
After you have decided to sell your home, walk the home room by room, revisit your memories, take pictures to preserve your memories in a photo album or scrapbook. Now, see the home as a dispassionate buyer and get ready to show the features of the property not your stuff.

Understand the buyers experience
Drive through the neighborhoon and approach your property from the street. Take an unbiased tour of the home starting from the street. Note where your eyes are drawn. Write down things that may turn off a buyer including leaky faucets, outdated carpets, cracks, risque artwork, even religious symbols. Addressing these issues will add equity to the property at the point of sale.

Selling As Is
Selling "As Is" usually means a much longer than average time on market and possibly no credible offers. Update, Refresh and Repair. Even minor repairs, painting and cleaning the carpet can make a diffrence in the selling of an "As Is" Property. Don't miss "A Sale" Opportunity!

Sweet Smelling
Get rid of garbage disposal odors by taking an old toothbrush and clean the inside of the rubber area with the toothbrush and dish detergent. Rinse and follow with a rinse of hot boiling salt water down the drain twice a week, and grind lemon or lime peels in the garbage disposal.

Get It Ready
Remember, Buyers buy on emotion, then they justify the purchase with facts., so it is very important to make your house appealing inside and out.

Remove Pet Habitats
Your home should have a neutral odor. This means you must remove pet beds, litter boxes to the garage, not to a closet. Gerbils, hamsters, and their habitats must go completely. Birds, Parrots, that live in and out of their birdcages must be moved to either the neighbors or another acceptible place while the house is on the market.

Staging is not decorating
Decorating appeals to the person living in the home. Staging is focused on creating an environment that appeals to future buyers, applies a universal style and works under tight deadlines. Staging removes the home owners personal connection and targets the buyer who will purchase the home.

What do I do with it all?
Pack up all family abums, pictures, trophys, placques, and souvenirs...Too much information about you will keep a buyer from "mentally moving in". Place all those items in a sealed and marked boxes and place them in storage for the new house.

On the Outside
Did you know that houses without landscaping lose thousands of dollars in value in a potential buyer's mind. Add flowers, shrubs, mow your grass and water more frequently as its on the market. Weed, mulch your beds, and don't forget to Trim all shrubs.

A Good first Impression
If you are not sure what should be in your yard, drive by a few model homes and take notes along with a few pictures. If it's not in the model home's yard, don't put it in yours.