Another way to update the hinges of your interior doors - rather than take them down and rehang them, get a can of some good old Rust-O-Leum (sp?) Paint and spray them! Use painters tape generously around each hinge creating a wider than needed space to catch any overspray, and your door hardware will look fresh and updated in no-time! You could also spray the doorknobs as well, or replace them (depends how easy replacing a doorknob is for you, we all have our own talents). I did this many many years ago to a house I sold in the early 2000's when shiny brass hinges/doorknobs were trending toward oil-rubbed bronze. And right now I'm spraying my outdoor light fixtures a brushed dark nickel to match my front door hardware and house numbers (they have gotten rusty in spots over the years, so using a wire brush to prep for the paint). Keep those tips coming - we all think "it's good enough for me" and forget that "we" aren't going to be living there - we need to make it welcoming and updated for the new owners.
Deep cleaning is indeed super important. We're are not selling now, but I've begun the "Swedish death cleaning" purge of items and subsequently cleaning the spaces. The difference is HUGE, even in an outdated house needing a new kitchen, flooring, paint etc.
Thank you for emphasizing the cleaning needs to happen For a YEAR or at very least, several months before first Open House! I had the duty to sell my parent's home when they moved on to assisted living, and it took me about 5 months, from decluttering, moving excess furniture, repairing & replacing faucets and stained/damaged countertops carpets and some windowsills, etc. It was a massive undertaking. While I did need to hire some pro's to do some of this, a lot of it was accomplished with grunt work from my own hubby & boys. In retrospect I wish I had hired others to do this as the chiropractor got a lot of extra visits from us! But the cleaning....detailed interior cabinet & closet cleaning, all the baseboards, all the windowsills and doorsills, the tops of the cabinets, etc. All of it had been "cleaned" once a week by a hired maid...but it was NOT CLEAN. So, I did a lot of hours to declutter all the closets, all the bins in the basement, had to make extra sure there was not anything valuable which heirs would want (much of it was too moldy.....) and this cleaning was exhausting! Even if I had hired a team of cleaners for a weekend, they still wouldn't have gotten it all---becuase when you clean, you stir up the dust! which settles again, and if the carpets haven't been professionally extracted in years, simple vacuuming doesn't do it all either. To completely CLEAN a home which has been lived in for 30 or more years, you need to remove everything, vacuum, clean the ducts (only professionals can do that), clean again, paint walls etc, then clean again, before staging before the First Open. If it takes months to sell then you need to clean after every potential buyer has been through. And in Winter once the heat has been on, you need to dust up all the stuff which the forced air finds to distribute (even if ducts have been cleaned, there's still dust in the crevices). I kept up with all of that....at closing, my buyer said "First of all, I have to say, your home is SO CLEAN" and that was a balm on my soul as my parents would have wanted their home to be seen as Immaculate. And it was.
We got matching paint for our warmish cream white flat paint from the paint store and painted all the scuffs and scratches on all the walls. The house looks newly painted!
Fixing our doorbell cost nearly $400 and 5 months. But we just completed it on this recommendation from you in an earlier video. Our 1911 home needed to have the walls opened and an entire new system purchased to do a repair in keeping with the arts and crafts charm. Fortunately I found you, Katie, years before we need to sell the house. I'm able to work on it slowly and now we have years to enjoy our doorbell. Sometimes we go out and ring it just for fun!
These are great pointers and ive got to address many of these items (new knobs, new switch plates, grout). BTW…I want to THANK YOU for a previous video advising us to: Do a deep cleaning and then CONTINUE to keep up with those areas. Wow! What a difference! I already have a very clean interior…but had neglected the deep cleaning of the exterior. So over the period of three full weekends I powerwashed all the concrete…the windows…the gutters and fascia and swept away cobwebs up and around the soffits. I scrubbed the front door and paid close attention to all the corners and crevices. What a difference! And now, it’s quick and light work to clear the minimal cobwebs…sweep the front walk…rinse down the windows. It looks almost as good as if I had repainted my house - especially my front door and sparkling window frames. Three weekends of elbow grease and a lot of sweat paid off tremendously. As you mentioned that need extra attention (caulking, touch up paint, etc). This will make it easier to get my home ready to list. Thanks for all you do for us!
This is GREAT advice whether you are selling your home or not. Give yourself a gift by doing these things for YOURSELF. Hire a pro (landscaper, painter, etc.) to knock these out and you will love your home again. And it keeps your home well maintained (and shows as well maintained when they look at the Google street view of your home) and easy to prep for sale when it's time. Thanks!
We are preparing our house to sell after 30 years and raising 8 kids in it. I'm learning so much from your videos but wish I'd started watching a long time ago!
My daughter and SIL just closed on their home, they discovered in the walk through that in the bedrooms the owners never finished painting where the furniture was placed. The half red lower wall behind where the dresser was is going to need attention! Just sharing because it’s funny, and also a reminder definitely to look closely! 😆 I am amazed the agent didn’t recommend they finish the painting, or why bother???
@@mollyturgess3153 these folks covered the red up to the edge of the dresser, and then continued on the other side of the dresser. It’s like a shadow of the furniture. Lol
In our house we have too much furniture because we are a soon to be family of 7 living in a 1300 sq ft home We have A sofa 3 armchairs 2 side boards 1 side table 1 dinning table with 6 chairs 2 counter chairs A cube shelf 4 beds 1 crib 4 desks 3 dressers 2 night stands An electric piano 2 toy storage shelves( one for boys onesie girls) I think I'll need to hide the piano, 2 dinning chairs, 3 desks, toys and toy storage 1 arm chair And Maybe the cube shelf or the side board before listing
The doorbell itself didn't technically break, but the 55 year old wiring for it IS broken (very common for the houses in this older section of Woodridge, IL). So we have one that is battery operated. Should we go ahead and have a friend who is an electrician rewire the original doorbell for us?
I continue to think that gray colors (paint, flooring, curtains) are going to be rapidly out of fashion, but there’s lots of creams, tans and off-whites that are timeless. I also suspect the grommet curtains are going to be a dated look. I do think another inexpensive update is to swap out plastic outlet and toggle switch covers with something metal. Ditto switching out the outdoor outlet cover with something clean and getting a clean hose.
Home Depot sells Ryobi gas pressure washers which are usually the cheapest in price (from approx $300 to $500). If you don't want to purchase then you can rent from your local tool rental shop (some Home Depot stores rent tools too). If your exterior paint is in poor condition then be careful and use the right tip and pressure. If you don't have any experience with a pressure washer then watch some YT vids. You can always go to the tool rental shop in advance and learn what pressure washer you want to rent and get the model info. Then look up the users guide before u rent.
at 7:54 you mention "that younger people" might be interested in.....HMMMMM....can you please tell me how many "younger people" can afford a $750k home, I don't think so (and if they're buying a $300k home they ought to be ready to just accept whatever cabinet hardware is there). Not all buyers are "younger people" I actually suspect that at least 50% of homebuyers are "older people" (we should define this for sure). If you're 50 years or older I guess that's "older" but these people are probably in a much better position financially to be buying a home.
at 4:13 it shows the staircase with a beautiful natural maple, and (too quickly) in next frame that LOVELY natural woodwork has been painted white! omg! I really prefer natural woodwork. Painted woodwork is a reason I would NOT buy a home. Or, if I bought it, I would be ripping it all out and replacing with natural woodwork....very costly. Don't paint natural woodwork!
Another way to update the hinges of your interior doors - rather than take them down and rehang them, get a can of some good old Rust-O-Leum (sp?) Paint and spray them! Use painters tape generously around each hinge creating a wider than needed space to catch any overspray, and your door hardware will look fresh and updated in no-time! You could also spray the doorknobs as well, or replace them (depends how easy replacing a doorknob is for you, we all have our own talents). I did this many many years ago to a house I sold in the early 2000's when shiny brass hinges/doorknobs were trending toward oil-rubbed bronze. And right now I'm spraying my outdoor light fixtures a brushed dark nickel to match my front door hardware and house numbers (they have gotten rusty in spots over the years, so using a wire brush to prep for the paint). Keep those tips coming - we all think "it's good enough for me" and forget that "we" aren't going to be living there - we need to make it welcoming and updated for the new owners.
Deep cleaning is indeed super important. We're are not selling now, but I've begun the "Swedish death cleaning" purge of items and subsequently cleaning the spaces. The difference is HUGE, even in an outdated house needing a new kitchen, flooring, paint etc.
Great job!!
Thank you for emphasizing the cleaning needs to happen For a YEAR or at very least, several months before first Open House! I had the duty to sell my parent's home when they moved on to assisted living, and it took me about 5 months, from decluttering, moving excess furniture, repairing & replacing faucets and stained/damaged countertops carpets and some windowsills, etc. It was a massive undertaking. While I did need to hire some pro's to do some of this, a lot of it was accomplished with grunt work from my own hubby & boys. In retrospect I wish I had hired others to do this as the chiropractor got a lot of extra visits from us! But the cleaning....detailed interior cabinet & closet cleaning, all the baseboards, all the windowsills and doorsills, the tops of the cabinets, etc. All of it had been "cleaned" once a week by a hired maid...but it was NOT CLEAN. So, I did a lot of hours to declutter all the closets, all the bins in the basement, had to make extra sure there was not anything valuable which heirs would want (much of it was too moldy.....) and this cleaning was exhausting! Even if I had hired a team of cleaners for a weekend, they still wouldn't have gotten it all---becuase when you clean, you stir up the dust! which settles again, and if the carpets haven't been professionally extracted in years, simple vacuuming doesn't do it all either. To completely CLEAN a home which has been lived in for 30 or more years, you need to remove everything, vacuum, clean the ducts (only professionals can do that), clean again, paint walls etc, then clean again, before staging before the First Open. If it takes months to sell then you need to clean after every potential buyer has been through. And in Winter once the heat has been on, you need to dust up all the stuff which the forced air finds to distribute (even if ducts have been cleaned, there's still dust in the crevices). I kept up with all of that....at closing, my buyer said "First of all, I have to say, your home is SO CLEAN" and that was a balm on my soul as my parents would have wanted their home to be seen as Immaculate. And it was.
Wow. Thank you for this great comment!! Viewers will definitely appreciate this!
Great tips, because those are the first things I replaced when I moved into my "fixer upper" !!! Hardware, lighting, grout, painted my door :)
Love your channel, great advice as always
We got matching paint for our warmish cream white flat paint from the paint store and painted all the scuffs and scratches on all the walls. The house looks newly painted!
Fixing our doorbell cost nearly $400 and 5 months. But we just completed it on this recommendation from you in an earlier video. Our 1911 home needed to have the walls opened and an entire new system purchased to do a repair in keeping with the arts and crafts charm. Fortunately I found you, Katie, years before we need to sell the house. I'm able to work on it slowly and now we have years to enjoy our doorbell. Sometimes we go out and ring it just for fun!
Haha!! Love this story!!!
Brass cabinet hardware and hinges are now back in style..... plus brass is very strong & durable (perhaps the most durable) for hinges.
These are great pointers and ive got to address many of these items (new knobs, new switch plates, grout). BTW…I want to THANK YOU for a previous video advising us to: Do a deep cleaning and then CONTINUE to keep up with those areas. Wow! What a difference! I already have a very clean interior…but had neglected the deep cleaning of the exterior. So over the period of three full weekends I powerwashed all the concrete…the windows…the gutters and fascia and swept away cobwebs up and around the soffits. I scrubbed the front door and paid close attention to all the corners and crevices. What a difference! And now, it’s quick and light work to clear the minimal cobwebs…sweep the front walk…rinse down the windows. It looks almost as good as if I had repainted my house - especially my front door and sparkling window frames. Three weekends of elbow grease and a lot of sweat paid off tremendously. As you mentioned that need extra attention (caulking, touch up paint, etc). This will make it easier to get my home ready to list. Thanks for all you do for us!
This is GREAT advice whether you are selling your home or not. Give yourself a gift by doing these things for YOURSELF. Hire a pro (landscaper, painter, etc.) to knock these out and you will love your home again. And it keeps your home well maintained (and shows as well maintained when they look at the Google street view of your home) and easy to prep for sale when it's time. Thanks!
Our "doorbell" has four paws and a very loud bark lol. And keeps a lookout. I don’t think anyone has ever needed to ring it!
We are preparing our house to sell after 30 years and raising 8 kids in it. I'm learning so much from your videos but wish I'd started watching a long time ago!
Another excellent video Katie. Thank you
Thanks!!
My daughter and SIL just closed on their home, they discovered in the walk through that in the bedrooms the owners never finished painting where the furniture was placed. The half red lower wall behind where the dresser was is going to need attention! Just sharing because it’s funny, and also a reminder definitely to look closely! 😆 I am amazed the agent didn’t recommend they finish the painting, or why bother???
I just finally moved a bunch of bookcases to finish that last wall. One stager told me not to bother!
@@mollyturgess3153 these folks covered the red up to the edge of the dresser, and then continued on the other side of the dresser. It’s like a shadow of the furniture. Lol
@@janetkenny4861 For a brief shining moment, I was tempted to do the same. 😁
In our house we have too much furniture because we are a soon to be family of 7 living in a 1300 sq ft home
We have
A sofa
3 armchairs
2 side boards
1 side table
1 dinning table with 6 chairs
2 counter chairs
A cube shelf
4 beds
1 crib
4 desks
3 dressers
2 night stands
An electric piano
2 toy storage shelves( one for boys onesie girls)
I think I'll need to hide the piano, 2 dinning chairs, 3 desks, toys and toy storage
1 arm chair
And Maybe the cube shelf or the side board before listing
The doorbell itself didn't technically break, but the 55 year old wiring for it IS broken (very common for the houses in this older section of Woodridge, IL). So we have one that is battery operated. Should we go ahead and have a friend who is an electrician rewire the original doorbell for us?
Please use SPLIT screen so we can see the differences. Thank you!
I just fixed my doorbell, spent an entire $35 for the button and the chime box and it took almost a half an hour.
Yep!!
I continue to think that gray colors (paint, flooring, curtains) are going to be rapidly out of fashion, but there’s lots of creams, tans and off-whites that are timeless. I also suspect the grommet curtains are going to be a dated look. I do think another inexpensive update is to swap out plastic outlet and toggle switch covers with something metal. Ditto switching out the outdoor outlet cover with something clean and getting a clean hose.
Is there a power washer that you recommend?
Home Depot sells Ryobi gas pressure washers which are usually the cheapest in price (from approx $300 to $500). If you don't want to purchase then you can rent from your local tool rental shop (some Home Depot stores rent tools too). If your exterior paint is in poor condition then be careful and use the right tip and pressure. If you don't have any experience with a pressure washer then watch some YT vids. You can always go to the tool rental shop in advance and learn what pressure washer you want to rent and get the model info. Then look up the users guide before u rent.
What should I do if my house will be empty? We have basically moved out to our new home. Any hints? Thanks.
HOA prohibits painting the front door any color except the original woodstain. I did re-coat the front door.
I have no doorbell.
Yep, no doorbell here either.
Yikes, broken door bell
My doorbell isn't broken completely, but it's a Nest and the camera works, but the bell only works randomly. 😡
Fake it Make it and Take 😂
My doorbell is broken, but I'm not selling. Lol.
😂 that’s ok!
My doorbell is broken!
Haha!
at 7:54 you mention "that younger people" might be interested in.....HMMMMM....can you please tell me how many "younger people" can afford a $750k home, I don't think so (and if they're buying a $300k home they ought to be ready to just accept whatever cabinet hardware is there). Not all buyers are "younger people" I actually suspect that at least 50% of homebuyers are "older people" (we should define this for sure). If you're 50 years or older I guess that's "older" but these people are probably in a much better position financially to be buying a home.
at 4:13 it shows the staircase with a beautiful natural maple, and (too quickly) in next frame that LOVELY natural woodwork has been painted white! omg! I really prefer natural woodwork. Painted woodwork is a reason I would NOT buy a home. Or, if I bought it, I would be ripping it all out and replacing with natural woodwork....very costly. Don't paint natural woodwork!