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A product of The Norman Transcript • 3.08.2014

17 HACKS TO GET YOUR HOUSE SOLD! Written By Jaymi Naciri for Realty Times

KEY IDEAS TO USE WHILE PLANNING YOUR NEW HOME PRE-PLANNING Start a notebook. Walk through your current residence, paying attention to the smallest details. What would you change and how?

SPLURGE WISELY Determine which features in which rooms are the most important to you and then invest in the best for years of enjoyment.

DETERMINE YOUR STYLE Go through magazines and search online. Collect your favorite ideas.

Even tape them up on the walls so the complete picture comes to mind.

COMFORT FEATURES Whether it's a hot shower on a winter night, relaxing on the patio in the summer, or riding out Oklahoma's bad weather – what's going to make your home comfortable?

DECORATING STARTS WITH THE FLOORPLAN Can you arrange each room for your current or planned furniture?

INVEST IN STORAGE Find every place possible for storage, conveniently located. Organizational systems make daily life so much simpler.

WESTPOINT HOMES

We aren’t the biggest builder but we strive to be the best.

Excellence since 1985. We're a candidate for a 2014 Guildmaster Award. The Guildmaster Awards recognize exemplary service among home builders. We have won the award for the last 5 years.

More importantly, this is what our homebuyers say: “I was 100% satisfied with every aspect of dealing with Westpoint homes. Every single person I have come in contact with has exceeded my expectations.”

If you're like many sellers, you think your house is perfect and you can't imagine why it wouldn't sell exactly like it is right now. This is a common problem. It's called “You can't see what's right in front of your face because you're enamored with your house-itis.”

This is often the cause of homes that go unsold while others fly off the market. Symptoms include too much clutter and personalization, outdated décor and fixtures, and a general unwillingness to see the things that other people - people like buyers and agents - are seeing.

There is a common cure. It starts with taking a good, honest look at your home and then making some small changes to turn what could be an unsellable house into a sold house. Try our 17 hacks and you'll be eyeing that sold sign in no time.

1. Look at your home with fresh eyes. The reality is you may not even know what your house really looks like, because you're not looking at it like someone who's never seen it before. You overlook the pile of shoes at the front door, the lint on the ceiling fan, and the overflowing pile of mail on the counter.

Go outside, ring your doorbell, allow yourself to be let in, and scan the house, like you would an open house. What do you see?

Clutter? Personalized items everywhere?

Outdated décor? Dirty walls or floors? Broken appliances? Noticeable cracks in walls and wear and tear on floors? These are all things that will be noticed by buyers and can keep you from getting a good sales price or selling at all.

2. Organize bookshelves neatly, or, better yet if you're a book hoarder, take half of the books and put them in boxes stacked neatly in the garage. You'll have to box them up soon anyway, right? Get a head start now and declutter at the same time!

3. Apply that same principle to your picture frames and your knick-knacks. Creating some airiness will allow buyers to see the space, not your stuff.

4. And apply that same principle to your closets - and don't forget the coat closet and linen closet too. Closets that are overfilled will be a turnoff for buyers. You want the house to look like it has ample space for everything, not that there is so little storage you have to cram everything in.

5. Clean your sinks and your toilets and keep them clean. Sound obvious? You'd be surprised.

6. Make sure the insides of your drawers and cabinets are tidy. Yes, people will open them. Wouldn't you?

7. Have a dog? Clean up the poop in the backyard. Poop on a potential buyer's shoe is a sure way to kill a sale.

8. Have a cat, bird, leopard, gecko, or any other type of animal? Tidy up their cage, take care of any visible waste, and make sure there are no prevailing odors. Stinky doesn't sell.

9. And speaking of stinky... selling is about sensory. People will look, touch, and smell.

Steal an idea from model home communities and bake chocolate chip cookies right before an open house or a showing if you have time.

10. At the very least, have fresh flowers in the entry to set an inviting tone. Also make sure you have a clean welcome mat out front and there are no advanced weeds, excessive leaves, or a dirty walkway. First impression, you know.

11. Look up, down, side to side. Let yourself see everything. Dirty light fixtures or missing or inoperable light bulbs, and filthy air conditioning registers or baseboards can put a bad taste in a buyer's mouth, and all are simple fixes. Cleaning and painting baseboards is one of the quickest, easiest, and most impactful changes you can make to a space because it brightens up the space instantly and gives it a fresh look.

12. Check all the windows and doors, doorknobs, locks and any other little things that can be easily fixed by with a DIY moment.

13. Get dirty clothes off the floor. Even in the laundry room. If your laundry basket is overflowing and it's time for a showing, put all the clothes in a trash bag and stow it in the garage. Just remember to bring the bag back in before trash day!

14. No dirty dishes in the sink. No time to wash them? Stow them in the dishwasher, even if they're not scrubbed and ready to be loaded. And do it neatly. Buyers may open the dishwasher.

15. Same goes for your oven and your microwave. A quick fix for a dirty microwave: fill a microwavable bowl with water and zap it for two minutes. When it's done, the steam will have loosened up anything caked or baked on, and you can simply wipe clean 16. Open the blinds or drapes and let the light in - and while you're at it, clean the windows! Natural light is one of the top features homebuyers are looking for.

17. Make your bed. Seriously. No one wants to see your crumpled sheets or your jammie pants on the floor next to bed, for that matter.

Now, you're ready to sell!

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Saturday, March 8, 2014

OPEN houses

1309 BROAD ACRES

OPEN SUN 2-4

(I-35 and Robinson, go west to Broad Acres, north to property on right, 1309.)

BEAUTIFUL BROOKHAVEN HOME! Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, bar seating, casual and formal dining. Large living room, high ceilings, master downstairs, bonus room upstairs. Wine closet. All bedrooms large! Too many special features to mention. $349,000.

Hosted by Elizabeth Eastmond @ 306-6175. #269567 DON CIES REAL ESTATE WWW.DONCIES.COM 329-0256

NORTHEAST 1318 SUNSET

2217 DIANA DRIVE OPEN SAT 1-4 SUN 2-4 From 24th NE & Robinson. South on NE 24th to Jackson. West to 23rd NE. North to Alameda Park Dr. West to Diana Drive.

BEAUTIFUL! NEW CONSTRUCTION! Open, bright & airy design. 3 bed; 2 bath; 2 car; Covered patio; Granite counters; Gas stove; Large pantry; Lot’s of storage space! New home warranty.

Hosted by: Todd Wiens 405-641-0447 WESTPOINT HOMES TODD@WESTPOINT-HOMES.COM 641-0447

2111 BATES CT. OPEN SUN 2-4

West Main Avenue to Wylie, south on Wylie to Sunset, east on Sunset to home

THIS HOME, BUILT IN 1954 IS A REAL TREASURE! Completely remodeled with refinished hardwood floors, granite countertops, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, new windows, doors, bathroom vanity, roof, and fixtures. It has new heat and air (Bedrooms: 3, Full Baths: 2, Half Baths: 0) $169,500 Hosted by: Grady Carter (405)474-2905 METRO BROKERS OF OKLAHOMA WWW.METROBROKERSOK.COM

OPEN SUN 2-4

(Rock Creek and 12th Ave NE, east to Hallbrooke, south to Burning Tree, east to Bates Way to Bates Court.)

LOADED, MINT CONDITION AND MOVE IN READY! Hand scraped knotty alder hardwood floors, granite in kitchen w/island, stainless steel appliances, gas cooktop, double ovens, great fixtures, large outdoor living w/ fireplace, cathedral ceiling in family room, barreled entry, coffered in kitchen and dome in master. Tankless water heater, very energy efficient (full spray foam insulation), post-tension foundation, sprinkler, misting, and security systems, storm shelter, large bonus room up w/1/2 bath. $359,000.

Hosted by Tray Holley @ 822-6060. #269878 DON CIES REAL ESTATE WWW.DONCIES.COM 329-0256

NORTHWEST 3000 LOCHINVER

OPEN SAT 10-5; SUN-WED 1-5

WESTPOINT HOMES’ SHOWCASE HOME IS A MUST SEE! WESTPOINT HOMES todd@westpoint-homes.com

3103 TARA LANE

641-0447

OPEN SUN 2-4

SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL. This 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home has it all! Study with built in bookcase. Huge bonus room upstairs. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances. Large backyard for a pool! Beautiful wood floors. Raised domed entry ceiling! Faux finishes. The master closet is huge, with a built-in island dresser with granite. Walk-in tile shower.

3 car garage with pull-through garage door. You must see this home in beautiful Highland Village. Community pool, park, ponds and waterfalls.

WESTPOINT HOMES TODD@WESTPOINT-HOMES.COM 641-0447

3004 ROLLING WOODS

OPEN SUN 1-4

(From Rock Creek Rd. and NW 48th, go east to Las Colinas Addition and north to Rolling Woods.)

NEW CONSTRUCTION!!

With Majestic Fine Homes your family’s new home will have some amazing features: granite countertops, custom built cabinets, all the outside walls are 2x6, wood floors in dining room, living room, entry, and hallway. Tandem 3 car garage, custom lighting kitchen island, high ceilings, 3 bedroom + study that could be a 4th bedroom. Also pre-wired for surround sound. New home with breathtaking valley views. $423,000.

Call Mahnaz Partou @ 979-7462. #268412 DON CIES REAL ESTATE WWW.DONCIES.COM 329-0256

4512 FOUNTAIN VIEW

OPEN SAT & SUN 2-4

(Tecumseh and NW 48th, south to Fountain View Drive, east to property.)

EXTRAORDINARY NEW BUILD BY CUSTOM BUILDERS OF OKLAHOMA! 4 Beds, 2 down and 2 up. Great Room, Formal Dining, Study, Bonus Room, Media Room. Outdoor living with Wood Burning Fireplace & Kitchen, 4 Car Insulated Garage, Storm Shelter. Features include: Architectural Designed Ceilings, Wrought Iron Staircase & Front Door, Plank Wood Floor, Custom Built Wood Cabinetry, SS Gas Range/Convection Oven, Electric Oven, Refrigerate, Whole House Audio, Butler’s Pantry, Granite Counters, Central Vacuum System, & Sprinklers. $668,900.

Call Carol Lindley @ 401-0246. #267464 DON CIES REAL ESTATE WWW.DONCIES.COM 329-0256

Reach over 35,000 prospective buyers with Norman Homes’ “Open Houses”

FOR MORE INFO CALL ANGELA WILLIAMS 366-3556

g n i r S p rw a rd...

F o into outdoor comfort.

1400 SW 24th Ave.

364-1912 ThompsonPool.com Hours: Mon-Fri 9-7 • Sat 9-4

Saturday, March 8, 2014

REAL ESTATE GLOSSARY LOCK IN An agreement for a lender to offer an interest rate for a certain period of time.

Buyers can pay lenders a fee to lock in a rate that they see as favorable.

CLEAR TITLE A title that is free of legal questions or liens on the property.

AMORTIZATION SCHEDULE A table that shows how your loan balance changes over the life of your mortgage. If you want to know what you’ll owe on the home after 10 years of making payments, the amortization schedule will show you.

ESCROW An account that can be used to pay property taxes and insurance premiums.

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Saturday, March 8, 2014

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