New Hampshire and Maine Homes and Condos

You're thinking about selling your home, or you've made that decision and your home or condo is already on the market for sale.  You've done all the things your REALTOR suggested you do to make your home show at its best.  And it looks good.........

But is it really SAFE for showings?  It's really easy for us, as we live in our  homes, to work around the idiosyncrasies of our own homes.  But can we expect strangers to do the same, especially strangers who are looking at our homes as potential buyers for it?  

Don't forget the basement!  Make sure the lighting down there is as bright as it can be - you don't want any buyers or their agents tripping over things, or hitting their heads on any pipes that might be a little lower than they'd expect.

Since we live here in the Portsmouth NH area where we get to enjoy the beauty of winter, we're accustomed to snow and ice, and how carefully you have to walk on it.  BUT, potential buyers could be relocating from anywhere, and may not appreciate walking through the snow if they don't have snowshoes on.   They actually may not even know how to drive or walk on it, as they may never have lived anywhere where it did snow! 

Take some extra time and make sure your walkways are shovelled and kept clear of snow and ice.  If the only way into your basement is through an outside bulkhead, make sure there's a pathway shovelled to that.

 

While we're talking about the outside of your home, please clean up messes left by the family dog.  You know where your dog likes to do his business, but potential buyers and their agents don't.  Most of the time when we're checking out the exterior of the house, we're not looking down, we're looking around at the house.  Then it's too late, and that really doesn't sit too well with potential buyers, and most assuredly homeowners don't want that tracked around inside their homes.  I know I sure wouldn't!

Take a walk through your home and look for little hazards like these that may be a liability for you as a homeowner.  Tighten the railings - place nonskid mats under rugs - straighten up the insides of closets - make sure toys are put away safely - change any lightbulbs needing replacing - clear drives & walkways. 

We all live with little things like this, but when it comes to selling your home, you want to remove as many potential liabilities as possible. 

Safety for showings on your home is important!  If someone is injured while looking at your home, they could sue you for damages.  Fortunately, this doesn't happen often, and it's easy to take the necessary steps ahead of time to avoid potential nasty situations as much as possible.  It's so much better to be safe than sorry with just a little bit of effort ahead of time!