Cleaning House Before Selling
Deep cleaning your house is that top-to-bottom, take-no-dust-bunny-prisoners, mother-in-law-quality cleaning that truly maintains the value of your home.
Here are frequently overlooked areas that a little spit and polish wouldn’t hurt:
De-Bug the Light Fixtures
See that bug burial ground within your overhead fixtures? Turn off the lights and carefully remove fixture covers, dump out flies and wash with hot soapy water. While you’re up there, dust the bulbs. Dry everything thoroughly before replacing the cover.
Vacuum Heat Vents and Registers
Dirt and dust build up in heat vents and along register blades. Vents also are great receptacles for coins and missing buttons. Unscrew vent covers from walls or pluck them from floors, remove foreign objects, and vacuum inside the vent. Clean grates with a damp cloth and screw back tightly.
Polish Hardware
To deep clean brass door hinges, handles and cabinet knobs, thoroughly wipe with a damp microfiber cloth, then polish with Wright’s or Weiman brass cleaner ($4). Dish soap shines up glass or stainless steel knobs. Use a Q-tip to detail the ornamental filigree on knobs and handles.
Replace Grungy Switch Plates
Any amateur can wipe a few fingerprints off cover plates that hide light switches, electric outlets, phone jacks and cable outlets. But only deep cleaners happily remove plates to vacuum and swipe the gunk behind. (OK, we’re a little OCD when it comes to dirt!) Make sure cover plates are straight when you replace them. And pitch plates that are beyond the help of even deep cleaning. New ones cost less than $2 each.
Neaten Weather Stripping
Peeling, drooping weather stripping on doors and windows makes rooms look old. If the strip still has some life, nail or glue it back. If it’s hopeless, cut out and replace sections, or just pull the whole thing off and start new. A 10-foot roll of foam weather stripping costs $8; 16-foot vinyl costs about $15.
Replace Stove Drip Pans
Some drip pans are beyond the scrub brush. Replacing them costs about $3 each and instantly freshens your stove.
SHERRY DICKSON & ASSOCIATES TEAM
April Edition
It's a little warmer and a little breezier in Paris. Take advantage of the extra energy boost this season and get on top of your spring cleaning and improving your FICO score if you're house hunting. And ways to banish those allergies.
Kitchens are the most utilized room in many homes and the first place most ambitious spring cleaners want to start. Tiny spaces under appliances or between cabinets and walls are havens for trapped food, splashes, and spills. Cleaning a high traffic area with a low traffic area helps you do your spring cleaning in manageable chunks without getting overwhelmed. Use this quick checklist for getting your kitchen and bathrooms sparkling for the warmer months.
Kitchen
Bath
SHERRY DICKSON & ASSOCIATES TEAMSHERRY DICKSON TEAM / Harold Carter Realtors (903) 361-2733
Make sure to check out my upcoming open houses. Click here to see my listings in detail. I hope to see you there!
Common allergens that catch us off guard in the spring months are usually pollen, dust mites, molds, and pet dander. Here are some tips to help ease the intensity of your allergies this season: Take a daily over-the-counter medicine, daily, as part of your morning routine. Wash bedding often to prevent spores and other allergens from floating around your home. Vacuum daily to further reduce household allergens. Use a damp cloth instead of a duster, that way, dust mites are confined and not spread. See an allergist if allergic reactions or other symptoms become too severe to handle on your own.Click here to check the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s website to see pollen levels in your area and say good-bye to "Gesundheit."
The spring selling season is always a popular time to buy and sell. To prepare for buying a first or next home, refinancing, or if you just want to get back on track, you have to work on your FICO score. A FICO score is a review of your years of credit history based on a model developed by Fair Isaac and Company. Most people have scores near 650, but scores range from 300 to 850. The items that impact your FICO score are your credit-to-debt ratio, the types of credit you have, the number of recent credit inquiries, and most importantly, your payment history. With all the lending turmoil lately, lenders want to know that giving you a loan isn't a risk. Your credit score gives some insight into what type of borrower you'd be based solely on your credit history. Building your FICO score takes time, but you can see changes within a few months. You can improve your credit score, or gain credit if you don’t already have it, by using these helpful hints:Correct your credit report. If you discover mistakes on your credit report, contact the bureau asking that the items be removed. If you have a common name, or the same name as a family member, you'll want to make sure all of the activity reported is correct.Keep up with payments. Late payments kill your FICO score. It's the area where people who have experienced job loss take the biggest hit. It takes longer to restore your credit this way, but it's the most reliable way to prove that you're able to make payments to a lender.Apply for gas station cards or store credit. For those who have no credit or low credit, retail credit cards and gas credit cards are ways to obtain credit, increase your credit limits and start a solid payment history. Beware of carrying a balance because these types of cards normally have high interest rates.Keep your credit in rotation. If you have older or unused credit cards, use your cards to keep your accounts active. But, make sure you pay them off in one or two payments if you can. Now that you know more about credit reporting, you'll be able to improve your FICO score. Remember that when it's time to apply for a mortgage loan, contact me at sherrydicksonteam@gmail.com, and I can help you keep your credit inquiries within a two-week window to avoid a negative on your credit score. To learn more, visit www.myFICO.com and get a free report at www.annualcreditreport.com.
Give us a call at (903) 361-2733 or send us an email at sherrydicksonteam@gmail.com. We're glad to answer questions — no obligation, of course.
March Edition
This month's newsletter is full of ways to help save you money around town and get organized. I've got a guide for lowering your property taxes and a handy checklist to get you started on your spring cleaning.
Property tax is an expense that most homeowners consider a “given” that they can't change. Most homeowners don't know that they can file an appeal to have their property taxes lowered. The first step to lowering your property taxes means you have to understand how the county tax assessor determines taxes in our area. Once you have this information, you'll know if you want to file an appeal on your own or use my help as a real estate professional. If you want to try this yourself, bring up details of your home that the assessor may have over looked. You can look for features that make your house less valuable like an odd layout or being next door to a cemetery. Also, make sure the assessor has the correct dimensions of your home and the correct valuation. To do this, get comps of homes recently sold in your immediate area that are similar to your home. If you don't know how to get these, I can assist you. Last, and most importantly, you want to make sure you have all of your research and documents in order so that your appeal as a better chance of getting approved and your property taxes lowered. Following these steps can help you lower your property tax. It also gives you a clearer understanding of how County calculates your tax. If you decide that you want to use a real estate professional, I'm available through SHERRY DICKSON TEAM / Harold Carter Realtors to help you. Contact me at sherrydicksonteam@gmail.com or (903) 361-2733 for advice.
De-clutter your house. This is the time to get started on your spring cleaning.
Touch up the paint. Paint your interior rooms a neutral color, touch up your exterior paint and repaint your front door.
Develop a green thumb. Start caring for your yard from the beginning of spring for great curb appeal.
The idea of spring cleaning can be refreshing and pretty daunting at the same time. The thought of cleaning your home from top to bottom while targeting every dusty and questionable corner isn’t one most people smile about, but the result leaves you feeling pretty accomplished.
Spring Cleaning is a large-scale task, and most people want to start with the kitchen or the garage. But, I’ve found that it’s better to start small, building your momentum. There are some tasks you can do to prep every room. Cleaning a high traffic area with a low traffic area helps you take on the task in manageable chunks.
Here’s a checklist for putting a dent in that spring cleaning. This first group of areas you’ll tackle in this three part spring cleaning list will be the living areas, dining room and small tasks for every room.
Living Areas
Dining Room
Every Room
Once you’ve finished these tasks, the rest is a breeze. Next month, I’ll give you a checklist for taking on your kitchen and bathrooms. Remember, de-cluttering is the first step in selling your home. If you or someone you know needs a sellers’ agent, email me at sherrydicksonteam@gmail.com me or call me at (903) 361-2733 and I'll be glad to help.
Kitchens are the heart. Remember that your kitchen is your home’s biggest asset and you should present it as such. As the saying goes, "kitchens and baths sell houses."
Model your home. Take the best and clearest photos for your home. Homes with more and better pictures hook more buyers and make them more interested.
Set the Stage. Arrange your furniture to maximize the available space in all of your rooms. For quick shot of color, put out a bowl of fruit or fresh flowers to invite buyers to tour the home.
