Running Through a Dining Room Sale Preparation Checklist

Just like every other room in the house, you want the dining room to be clean, neat, clutter-free, and in good repair, so your first step is to take a cold hard look at it and clean out, pack, and store anything that doesn’t say “dining room.” After that, get busy and address all the other details that make your dining room a selling point.

You never know who will be looking at your house, so don’t leave out your religious or political books or icons, and clear away any evidence of beer, wine, or liquor. You run the risk of offending a potential buyer if you leave these things on display.

Sprucing up the flooring

Dining room flooring tends not to get as much wear as that of other rooms, but it can end up with some unappetizing stains. If the carpet is worn or if it has some stains from the last dinner party or your son’s birthday party, then clean or replace it. If you have hardwood, check that the floor is clean and in good repair. You may also want to add an area rug to show off the hardwood floors and dampen some of the sound, but make sure it’s large enough so the table and all the chairs fit on it.

Getting light right

A lighting fixture can make your dining room memorable — in a good or bad way. Make sure yours is clean, on-trend, and appropriate to your house.

If you plan to leave your current light fixture in place, then clean it by wiping off the individual shades, light bulbs, and crystals. If you love the fixture, then take it down, pack it away, and store it for your new house. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a replacement, but make sure you buy something that’s UpToDate and in keeping with the style of your house. For example, don’t install a traditional fixture in your dining room if the house is clearly contemporary in style.

Also, check that you have the highest wattage light bulbs in place (check this by peeking inside the light socket for maximum bulb wattages).

Readying the room

Run through the following checklist to get your dining room ready for buyers’ inspections:

• Clean and freshen up the woodwork, baseboards, and trim moulding around the doorways. These areas must be sparkling clean or freshly painted.
• Clean or replace switch plates and outlet covers. If they’re decorative, then replace them with new, plain covers in either white or cream.
• Open or remove heavy or out-of-date window treatments. Take a look at the view out the dining room window. Is it a pretty garden? Then open the drapes and the window blinds to show it off and let in all the natural light possible. If the view out the window is the siding on the house next door, tip the louvers up to let in the light without letting in the view. Alternatively, you could place an airy palm tree close to the window so the light still gets in but the eye is distracted from the view.
• Wash the windows so they’re sparkling clean. Make sure the windows work smoothly and don’t squeak.
• Oil squeaky door hinges.
• If you have built-in storage, replace any drawer pulls that aren’t on trend and in good repair.
• Make sure that the wall colour is neutral and on trend If you have wallpaper or a border older than 5 years old, consider removing it.
• Bring colour to the dining room by adding art to the space
• Check that the ceiling is in good repair. Patch any cracks and repaint the entire dining room ceiling.
• Repaint only a patched area, and you send a red flag to home inspectors.
• Play it safe and paint the entire ceiling.