HOUSE SALES Is it time to sell? Just be prepared

Research has shown that many house sales are decided at the curb.
By ALAN J. HEAVENS
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
If you are planning to sell anytime soon, it's time to get off the couch and get to it.
Usually, sellers get on the stick long before this, but with an uncertain economy, unconfident consumers, international turmoil and winter coming, too many people have been hunkering down.
There have been signs, especially in some city neighborhoods, that home prices have been deflating slightly from pre-downturn peaks. But while some predict a bubble and others say no, if you need to sell, you might as well while mortgage interest rates remain low, thus helping both buyers and sellers.
It remains a sellers' market, but that does not mean you can get a million dollars for a tumbledown shack.
Top motivation
Location is still the No. 1 buyer motivation, followed by condition and cost. All need to be there to sell a house for a price that can equal or exceed what you are looking for.
First impressions, no matter what kind of market it is, can make or break a sale.
The professionals call this curb appeal. Research by the National Association of Realtors has shown that almost half of all house sales are decided at the curb.
"The idea is to make the exterior sparkle," said Bari Shor, an agent with Prudential Fox & amp; Roach in Center City, Pa.
Sparkle can be achieved in a variety of ways. The most obvious is by cleaning, painting and landscaping.
Clean the mildew off the porch surfaces and the window frames, and paint them if they need it.
Rake leaves and pick up papers. Buy plenty of mulch to give the flower beds a warm, inviting look.
If you do not have a front porch or front yard, consider window boxes, or put some heavy-duty pots by the entrance and fill them with flowers.
If the house does not have shutters, and shutters do not clash with the architectural style, buy some. Polish the brass doorknobs, knockers and mail slots until they glow.
Even the window treatments should say, "Take a longer look at me." If the exterior is lovely, but there are plain white shades in the windows, then it is time to get something new.
And make sure you wash the windows. There are firms that you can hire to do it, and by removing years of grime, you can fill the house with natural light.
See it as a buyer
The trick to getting your house ready for sale is to look at it first through a buyer's eyes.
Why? Well, in general, buyers do not see the house through the same eyes as the seller. The seller has years and memories tied up in the house. Buyers are looking for a sound structure at a good price. These days, especially, the typical buyer is interested in value -- how much house they can get for their money.
Drive or walk around your neighborhood or community and take a good look at others' houses, regardless of whether those houses are for sale. Go home, stand across the street, and look at your house and yard. What makes your house better or worse than the others?
Then accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and do not mess with in-between.
If you improve the exterior, or "polish the apple," as some real estate agents put it, it could add as much as 10 percent to the sale price of your house.
After you take a look at your house, check out your neighbors' houses. Will they help sell your house or drive buyers elsewhere? If your neighbor tends to tinker with two or three old cars on his front lawn, someone might think twice about living next door.
There are two ways to handle the problem. You can appeal to your neighbor's better nature, telling him that cleaning up the yard will boost everyone's property values. Or you can make his life so miserable that he will clean the yard so you can sell the house and get you out of his life for good.
Either way, you will win.
Handling the work
Who should do the work you need to get the house ready for sale?
Most real estate agents keep a list of plumbers, plasterers, painters and cleaning firms, in case their clients need them.
One thing agents do not tolerate is clutter.
Consultant Lauren Harper Haden calls this the "cut in half" concept, in which the agent tells the seller, diplomatically, of course, to get rid of at least half of the stuff in every room. "Walk them through each room," Haden urges agents. Emphasize that the less clutter, the larger the house looks and the easier it will be for prospective buyers to see themselves living there.
John Duffy of Duffy Real Estate in Narberth, Pa., and Wayne, Pa., recommends rearranging furniture or storing extra furniture to make the rooms look larger. Keep the beds made, and pick up clothes, toys and other stuff from the floor.
Haden also suggests:
UClearing notes and magnets off the refrigerator, clearing the counters, and cleaning appliances; washing the exterior of the kitchen cabinets, touching up the finish, and maybe putting on new knobs.
UHiding the garbage cans and opening the floor space; removing toys and reducing the number of knickknacks, paintings and wall hangings in the living room and dining rooms.
*Decluttering bookshelves and cleaning the fireplace.