Garages

Before writing this post, I wanted to look up the word "garage" to actually see how a dictionary would define that word.  "Garage (noun) -A residential garage is part of a home, or an associated building, designed or used for storing a vehicle or vehicles."  Really?  Not many people use their garage for that anymore, and yet when Buyers are looking for a home, they also want a garage.  Often my clients would tell me that the house needed to have at least a two car garage or three car garage.  Note the word "car" in describing garage.

Instead of housing our vehicles, a lot of garages have become a dumping ground for everything we collect and don't know what to do with.  Have you ever driven through a neighborhood, noticed a garage door up and it's bursting at the seams with boxes & junk?  What is your first thought?  Mine is, "They must not take very good care of their home."  It definitely sends a negative signal.  Don't forget to "stage" your garage.


What do I mean by staging your garage? Staging a garage simply means cleaning up and organizing your garage.  Some people may want to have a dumpster put in the driveway before they start this project.  Maybe you need to solicit help from your family and friends, but don't ignore your garage.


Once you have it cleaned out and you can actually see the garage floor, be sure to clean up any grease stains on the garage floor or driveway.  There are products on the market that can help you with that.  I've shown many a house where we were walking up to the front door only to notice a driveway filled with grease spots.  Without exception, my Buyers were turned off.  I probably didn't even need to show the house because they had already decided that these people didn't take care of their house.


If you have a garage door that isn't working properly or needs repair, take care of it now.  If your garage door opener isn't working or you've lost the garage door openers, take care of it now.  These investments only strengthen your chance to sell your home in the shortest amount of time.

Here in Nebraska, a garage is a valuable asset because of our extreme winters.  Make sure that YOUR garage is an asset and not a liability when you're trying to sell your home.


Blessings!