Selling Your Desert Home continued...

See no Evil, Smell no Evil, Hear no Evil

Of all the senses, humans depend predominately on their sight. Appealing to that sense will be first on our list, followed by smell, and finally sounds. All three will contribute proportionately to a potential buyer's reactions to your home.

Quality sellers of used cars have long known the importance of making modest cosmetic improvements to their inventory. When you visit a good used car lot, all the cars are washed, waxed, have very clean windows, and are parked neatly in tidy rows and columns. It makes a nice first impression. When you get closer, and start to inspect the cars, you notice that the interiors have been fully cleaned and shampooed, as have the engine compartments, and that the car smells good inside. If you pay close attention, you'll see a myriad signs of cosmetic preparation for sale. The tires are blacked and shiny, there are no finger prints on the glass, the mats have been treated, the ashtray is closed and empty, even the chrome on the seat belt harnesses has been shined – and so on. It's all been done to appeal to sight first, smell second.

Take a notepad and begin outside your house. Start by reviewing your yard, and the entire exterior of your home. Then enter your home through the door perspective buyers will come through, and slowly move through your entire house one room at a time – carefully making note of anything that is 'not right.' (It might help if you try seeing the home as though you were thinking of buying it. That way you're searching for anything wrong - just like your prospective buyers will be.)

While you're outside, check everything! Start with the landscaping. Pulling some weeds, raking a garden bed or flower planting area are easy, inexpensive ways to make very noticeable cosmetic improvements. Of course make sure there is no trash in the yard, but also decide if it's time to prune that crazy bush that partially covers one window. Make a note of everything you see that you believe needs attention.

When you're outside, look closely at everything. There may well be some things out there that you've forgotten about. That $500 antique weather vane that your brother gave you ten years ago was installed on the roof and forgotten about – maybe it needs polishing, or painting – or maybe you want to remove it. If nothing else, you will want to make note of its "unique charm and constantly appreciating value" to perspective buyers. Many people have special, custom street numbers on their homes – make sure they are still looking as good as the day you just had to buy them for your home. And anything else that falls into this category.

Don't forget your outdoor lighting. This is an area where many people make improvements during their ownership. Outdoor lighting is very popular in Tucson - especially in neighborhoods. Do all the bulbs work? Are all the fixtures in good repair, and are they eye-appealing? Are all the wires fully buried? And so forth. Replace bulbs, clean fixtures and bury wires as necessary. products designed to shine and protect plastic, such as Armor-All, do an excellent job on plastic outdoor fixtures.

Hopefully, you won't find anything major such as the wood trim on the house needs to be repainted (or replaced), or the roof needs some new shingles – or a whole new cover. If you've kept your home in good repair, you will most likely be able to touch-up paint small areas of trim – including exterior doors. If you do find something major, you'll be able to determine how to deal with it best after you have a complete list of what needs to be done to the entire property.

Once you have completed your tour of the yard and house exterior, it's time to take a look at the garage. If you don't have a garage, skip this step. Don't rush through your garage inspection – it can be a very important area during the selling process. Some people put freezers or extra refrigerators in the garage, while some build workshops, or create very functional storage or hobby areas. Of course, some people simply park their vehicles in them, but you never know about your potential buyers' intended uses, so make sure your garage is suitable for any use. Be sure to check the door handles for unusual wear, stains from paints, or other garage chemicals and even dents. Electric garage door openers should work flawlessly, and the light bulbs should be good.

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