Like preparing for a school room test, getting your Maine home ready to sell means roll up the sleeves.
Training for the big transition. Because living in a home day to day and getting pretty comfortable is not the way to ease into selling a house in Maine. It’s highly competitive.
Effort, running a tighter ship with no slack, for the best first impression is a big part of the ten hut. Attention to details.
All the little things that add up, make a big difference. That shout out “pick my Maine house for sale over others” competing for the same buyers for homes in the area.
So the list of what to do in your Maine home sale.
Number one price the Maine home, real estate realistically. Then move on to the actual house itself before marketing kicks in. Often property owners are told to heave ho all the knick knacks. To remove all the personal images on the wall. To pretty much make the Maine home the four walls in and out depersonalized.
Without clutter, anything that makes the walk through difficult or distracting. I agree with the three couches in the small living room situation making it feel smaller, more crowded then it really is. And let’s escort two of them to the storage shed.
Or the lake camp, to your kid’s apartments or Catholic Charities, Goodwill, Sally’s (The Salvation Army Thrift Store).
But the painting done of Mount Katahdin, Maine moose photo. the lake sunset, what the heck. Leave it hanging on the wall so the place has some personality. Make sure the interior is clean as a whistle with extra effort to remove any smells that would make a buyer tense up. Cause a face wearing the frown. Brownie’s baking, now that smell is fine and dandy. Would I like one? Yes please. (Munch munch) Thank you.
So besides declutter, spiffy clean inside and out the Maine home, garage and storage sheds. Landscaping for curb appeal goes a long ways. No grass growing in the paved driveway cracks. Would you get excited buying a home with overgrown shrubs, untrimmed grass around the trees and broken kid’s toys scattered all over the property yard? Exactly. Me neither. Think buyer, tighten up on the patrol. Looking for slack in the household, around the property you listed for sale. Need to sell and replace with another four walls, a roof somewhere else. To hang your hat, call home.
What else to be on the war path for when selling your Maine home?
Inside the Maine house, any missing or long burned out light bulbs need replacement? Let there be light. Missing, broken panes of glass, any with cracks, with lost seals should be taken out. New ones slid in, installed before showings start. The bank appraiser if there is one on a mortgaged Maine home loan will write you up for loose ends. It could kill the loan if the items listed are too many and the buyer gets deer in the headlights frozen. The runs away.
Old stains from the roof that leaked around the vent pipe, chimney before the roof was replaced a few years back need to be sealed in. Painted over.
Otherwise the prospective buyer looking the property over thinks ching ching. By George, worrisome thoughts of an expensive house roof show up in his head.
As he looks up. Points at the brown stain on the ceiling with the Mrs. during the Maine home open house walk through. Which to him means roof job needed. Something was not done right. Still a problem he is going to get passed like a hot potato. Tapped to cure.
Even though it is an old stain, and a new Maine home roof that does not leak is in place working fine and dandy.
Working like it is suppose to round the clock, all four seasons. Tight is right. But the sight of the stain scares him just the same. Like running into an ex when the parting of the ways was not so warm and friendly. No longer on each other’s Christmas list. Because he thinks “it’s BAaaackkkkkkk…the stain means roof leak still happens and big time expense ahead. Lurking to pounce just around the next home buying curve.
Buying Maine real estate is emotional and exciting, scary at mixed together at the same time.
Don’t add to the worry about buying your property because of missed detailing items. Any flawed, chipped floor tiles, chisel them
out. Replace with new ones if you have a box of them unused hanging around.
Left over from the flooring job when it was done not so long ago. Same with counter tile pieces that are missing, cracked, burned or damaged. Caulking the tub wins points with the buyer too.
Like dings and scrapes on your car, touch up effort will make the problems go away. That collectively cause heartburn if you don’t. Mix wax stain the white bare spots on the kitchen cabinets. Oil the cabinets, dried out wood paneling too.
You want good “oohs and ahhs” about everything associated with your Maine home during the tour through that you need to sell right?
If the plumbing is leaking in the cellar, out of a faucet, a toilet won’t stop running even with the all in the wrist action jiggle, get the new parts. Install the washers to stop the flow. The annoying drip drip drip. If door knobs are missing, pick up new ones and install from the local hardware store or Wally World.
Make sure the closets in the Maine home are tidy, not stuffed to the gills.
Like the way you pack for trips and jump up and down on the American Tourister luggage. Closets not causing avalanches when opened. Spring loaded and suddenly requiring a dog, probe and beacon to find the Maine home buyer under the rubble that bowls him over. Knocks him 
down. Snows him under.
The hole in the wall from the door opened a little too hard when junior forgot his glove.
Was late for the championship game and whipped it open a little forcibly in the search and rescue. And it’s been forgotten, become a blind spot that the buyer will zero in on with his eagle eye 20-20 vision.
The sheet rock joint compound patch is one way or install a rubber circular stopper as a quicker protective fix. That saves you time, painting, hopefully finding a quality color match in the cover up repair.
Animals that love to see the buyers and bark non stop to show it or bare their teeth to protect the place are not going to help the showing of your Maine home. Take them for a walk far far away while the showing is happening. Drop them off at your mother in laws.
Bathrooms are sacred, special places. Extra clean gleaming. Toilet seats down, mirrors that are like new, no spots or streaks. Available for the buyer to 
flash a grin, check their hair. To sneak a peak. Hopefully feel good about what they see. No moldy towel smells. No toilet paper rolls piled high on the back of the toilet. No neglected cat boxes.
No piles of hair dryers, shavers, toothpaste box containers strewn around overflowing garbage cans. Or used ear wax q tips on the floor please. (I know, OOohhhhh gross. Just what your Maine home buyer thinks too.)
The broken kitchen drawer that is missing its facing, find another front. Replace the cabinet and drawer handles if shot, broken, that have long gone AWOL, MIA.
Rotten steps that are dangerous outside the home, or to the basement are a big safety concern. The buyer who breaks his leg during the showing is probably not going to remember the showing with a warm fuzzy glowing feeling. One radiating like ET when he thinks, murmurs “HHhhome”.
If repainting a Maine home that is tired, worn and dated, not using the same shade of 1000 volt Mary Kay Pink or 1970’s Mopar muscle car exotic that might be better replaced by reaching for a neutral can color.
One that’s on sale but muted, light and not so blinding or hypnotizing circus black light eerie. Easy to optically digest is the rule on color selection. Oh yeah. Threes a crowd so bug out during the showing of the Maine home too. Just sayin’ so’s you know.
The buyer for hopefully your Maine home can be at ease, talk freely if you the owner are scare. Out of sight.
Not having to carry on a conversation with you the owner to just be polite for fear of being rude. Distracted. Works best if no seller. All their time is spent dedicated to the home in Maine for sale that you have worked hard on to make a good first, lasting impression. That could lead to a sale of the property if they feel comfortable. Right at home.
Other Helpful Maine Real Estate Blog Post Topics….
What Features Help Add Value To A Maine Real Estate Home Sale?
When’s The Best Time To List Your Maine Real Estate Listing?
What A Maine Home Buyer Needs To Bring To The Bank For The House Loan?
Thank you for following our blog posts! Thinking of buying, seling real estate? Need local area information? Here to hellp whenever, however you need it! Welcome to Northern Maine!
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |
MOOERS REALTY 69 North St Houlton ME 04730 USA |
