Kitchens and bathrooms may sell homes, but they aren’t the only things potential buyers look at. In fact, it may surprise you to learn that buyers peek in all your hiding places. They pull back shower curtains, examine closets, and even check out the garage.
Your job is to prep your house, including the garage, so that the space wows buyers. Luckily, cleaning the garage is not as difficult as it may sound. If you follow a few simple steps, it won’t take long at all. Here are a few steps you should take to prepare your garage for potential home buyers.
Empty Everything Out
Garages can be overwhelming. Most of us just end up shoving things in there with the thought of organizing it later, only later never comes. The best plan of attack now is to empty everything out onto the driveway. Create piles for things that need to be thrown out, things you can donate, and things you plan to keep. If you need to keep something, but won’t be using it for several months, pack it away.
Start With the Floors
Now that your garage is empty, take a close look at the floor. Sweep and power wash it so that your garage floor is cleaner than it has ever been.
If you have oil stains on your floor, consider applying an epoxy paint to cover it up. You can purchase special epoxy paint kits at your local hardware superstore. The kits come with both the necessary paint and a bag of colored chips that you sprinkle on the paint as it dries. You can easily accomplish this project in a weekend.
Make It Sparkle
No one likes to clean windows, but it is a necessary evil when you are prepping your home for a quick sale. Plus, the windows in your garage and the glass lites on your garage door have probably never been cleaned. Take the time to make them sparkle. Buyers will notice.
Ensure That It All Works
Buyers expect everything to work in your home. They will even press the garage door opener button in your garage. You want to make sure that it not only works, but that it also works quietly. A squeaky pulley opening the garage door may work just fine, but buyers will wonder if you are doing a good enough job maintaining your home.
At best, a noisy pulley will make them leery of your home. They may even refer to it later as “the house with the squeaky garage door.” If they write an offer, it could be low, based on their perception of your home maintenance, and they may ask you to repair or replace your garage door opener.
The easiest solution is to do whatever repairs are necessary now, before putting your home on the market.
Organize Your Gear
Now that your garage is clean and everything is working, you can load all your storage back in. This is a time to break old habits, however. Rather than putting everything in your garage willy-nilly, take the time to organize as you go.
Use plastic tubs to store smaller items, like camping gear, sporting equipment, and gardening supplies. Install hooks to hang bulkier items, like bicycles, rakes, and even golf bags. Make sure every item has a home. The goal is to have buyers remark at how neat and organized your garage is. Impress them.
You may feel overwhelmed by your garage now, but if you tackle each one of the steps above over the course of a few weekends, your garage will be show ready in no time. If you’re ready to put your house on the market, contact Charles L. Moles Real Estate, LLC today.
