Top Tips To Help You Sell a Vacant House

Curb Appeal - Remember first impressions are important and the better the curb appeal of your home, the more attractive it is to prospective buyers.

• Spruce up landscaping before you leave. Plant some new shrubs, lay down some fresh ground cover, or add contrast with some colorful annuals.
• If you have a lawn, keep it mowed. Hire a neighborhood teen or local landscape service to keep it maintained.
• If you have an automated irrigation or sprinkler system, you'll want to leave it on, or ask a neighbor to water for you. This is especially crucial in Las Vegas.
• Trim overgrown bushes, weed beds and add a fresh layer of mulch.
• Clean your front door and repaint if needed.
• Add a fresh doormat

Utilities.

• It's important that the electricity, water, and gas heat work when your home is being shown to a prospective buyer.
• Buyers will want to see homes in the light and test appliances to make sure they are working.
• Replace all installed light fixtures with fresh bulbs with as high wattage as possible.
• Provide floor lamps for rooms that don't have ceiling lights.

Cleaning - Empty houses have a way of attracting dust balls, so make sure your home is as clean as possible. For most buyers, dirt equals stress and the last thing most buyers want is more stress in their lives.

• Get carpets professionally cleaned once everything is moved out. (If the floors aren't taken care of, the prospective home buyer may wonder, what else isn’t.)
• Pressure-wash the driveway and sidewalks.
• Clean windows inside and out
• Pressure wash decks and patios
• Hire a cleaning service from time to time

Paint - the condition and color of the paint can make a huge difference in how buyers react to your home.

• Go through every room of your house, paintbrush in hand, and touch up any walls that have been scuffed or marked up.
• After moving furniture out, you're sure to find a slew of such marks.
• Walls painted in bold, bright colors are wonderful attention-getters when complemented by furniture, rugs, and accessories. However, in an empty room, these bold colors may put buyers off.
• You may want to consider painting neutral colors throughout the house before you sell.

Replace Worn Carpet - Dirty carpet is unsanitary and nobody will be able to overlook your worn carpet. Replace the top layer with inexpensive neutral colored carpet and you will always recoup the investment.

Stage your home – See our article on home staging

Miscellaneous Tips

• Don't set your deserted house up for potential break-ins. You may want to invest in exterior sensor lights that automatically turn on when it gets dark and turn off at sunrise.
• Cancel your newspaper subscription and forward your mail.
• If you have a security alarm, use it.
• Be sure you review the provisions of your homeowners insurance. Many companies have a cap on how long coverage will last while the property is vacant.