Are you years into owning a home and thinking about finding a new place to live? While exciting, you need to prepare properly to be a successful seller.

The first thing you should ask yourself is, “What is my home worth?” Hopefully over the time you’ve spent there you’ve kept the property well-maintained, possibly even doing renovations and upgrades.

Homeowners tend to look at the bigger picture and don’t take into account how much everyday wear-and-tear can affect your home. We’re here to tell you how, so you can stay on top of it and not find yourself needing to sink money into giving your property a major fix up.

What is normal wear and tear?

Typically this is the deterioration that happens to the property due to everyday use. It can also be considered damage that is easily fixed with minimal effort.

This can be faded paint, damaged blinds, dirty carpet, or scuffed floors.

This does not include things that are the result of neglect like broken appliances, holes in the wall, or stains and burns on surfaces.

Those types of things are considered property damage.

Wall colors

Faded paint can drastically change the way a room looks. It’s a natural occurrence over time and one you can fix by refreshing the color every couple years.

Opt for neutral colors or those that will be easy to paint over. Prospective buyers can’t help but see dollar signs when trying to image painting a navy blue wall beige.

Dents

Sometimes you can’t help a door that has a knob that bangs into the wall when opened. Try as you might, you may do it with too much force and cause a dent.

If you notice this happening, repair the effected wall immediately and put something in place to prevent it from happening again.

A small dent can turn into a huge hole in no time and be much more costly – and time consuming – if it’s ignored.

Flooring

Spills happen! So do doors that rub up against plush carpeting and wear it down. Remove carpets with deep stains or replace carpets with worn down paths run into them.

You should replace it with a neutral color or even something like hardwood or tile so they’re easier to clean.

Surfaces

If you do switch to hardwood or tile, be mindful of the ways in which those surfaces can become marred.

Put felt pads on furniture legs so when they move they don’t scratch the surface they’re on.

Buy the appropriate cleaner for these surfaces so your efforts are effective.

Outside of floors, take into account any countertop scratches and how the might be fixed.

Look at walls, particularly in the lower areas if you have kids or pets, to see if there are concentrated areas of dirt that need to be cleaned.

Stay on Top of It

When things like the above go unchecked you can end up with quite an unsavory house on your hands that will decrease its value.

Do a sweep every six months to assess any incurred damage and how it can be fixed.