The Smallest Details Can Prevent Your Home From Selling

When selling a house, the majority of thought, time, and expense normally goes into the items that are the largest or make the most dramatic impact. If you skip over or miss entirely some other smaller details, your house may look unfinished and potential buyers will notice. The small details can add up to one big problem.

Some of the small details that can cause potential buyers to leave or make offers below your listing price are:

1. Missing and/or unmatched outlet and switch covers.
2. Sloppy paint job (wall paint on baseboard, crown molding, etc.)
3. Painted over outlet and switch covers.
4. Dirty appliances
5. Foul smelling refrigerator
6. Carpet not stretched
7. Stains on carpet
8. Worn carpet
9. Seams showing in carpet
10. Dusty/dirty light fixtures
11. Crooked, rusty, bent register covers
12. Squeaky floors
13. Crooked and/or damaged blinds and other window treatments
14. Dirty/moldy grout
15. Cracked or missing tiles
16. Dirty windows
17. Cracked windows
18. Spider webs
19. Dead bugs
20. Leaking water faucets (indoors and out)
21. Dirty gutters
22. Crooked gutters
23. Crooked/damaged mailbox
24. Doorbell not working
25. Oil and other stains on driveway
26. Weeds/Grass growing in sidewalk/driveway cracks
27. Weeds/Grass growing over edges of driveway/sidewalk
28. Dead bushes and shrubs
29. Dying trees

This list is not complete, but should give you a good starting point. If you make sure each of the items listed above has been taken care of correctly, your house will sell much faster and for more money.

Don't skip the small details thinking a potential buyer will not notice or will not care. The final tweaks can add value and should not be ignored.