Making sure your home shows it’s best
There is an old saying that goes: “Your home is never more exciting than the first couple of weeks on the market”. So when you put your home on the market (and I mean the REAL MARKET, by LISTING IT with a REALTOR®), make sure that your home shows it’s best. Because here is a bit of reality: About 80% of your total showings are going to happen in the first 5 days…… Here is why:
When you put your house on the market, there are any number of potential buyers who have been waiting for YOUR HOME. And they will rush in to see your home in the first few days, checking it out to see if it’s worth competing for. If the buyers find fault with your home, they simply move on to the next one and MAY NEVER RETURN.
So it’s very important to have your home as ‘show-worthy’ as possible. Here are a couple of simple tips to get you started:
1) Clean Clean Clean
Counters, bathrooms, carpets, lights, windows. Kitchen cupboards, sinks and the garage. Clean everything. Don’t leave buyers with a bad impression.
2) Declutter
Kitchen counters should be empty, except for perhaps those Tea-Sugar-Flour-Coffee canisters. Less furniture is better than too much. Box up everything you don’t need. You could designate a room in the basement as the ‘junk room’ and move extra stuff into there.
3) Paint
If there are any areas where the paint is fading or flaking, paint it. Stay away from the wild colors and stick to earthy, neutral tones. That “Bright Red” kitchen wall looks funky in a magazine, but is not everyone’s cup of tea.
4) Be out of the house (or condo)
During the showing, try to be out of the house. Many buyers feel uneasy about really looking at your house, opening cupboards and looking in closets, with the home owner standing over them. Even in this hot market, the home owners should make sure that the buyers feel comfortable and at ease.
5) Remove Pets
Not everyone loves pets….in fact, some people are allergic to them. So its best to remove them, and in fact try to remove all evidence of them. If you can have them stay at relatives for a few days, thats even better.
When you buy a home, it’s the visuals that count. To sell your home faster you may want to stage your furniture and belongings to help give your home more personality. Generally, a less cluttered space is more appealing when you’re selling a home.
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Paint. When I sell my home, I'm NOT gonna repaint. Color is something people are afraid of, yet paint is the cheapest form of entertainment. The common beige and oatmeal is horrid and removes the character and richness of a home.
Isn't it every realtor's counsel to tell people to repaint color? Why is that?
Hi Jayme: I dont know if it's 'every REALTORS® counsel to tell people to repaint.." but if the paint in a room is worn, scuffed etc, its certainly a good idea. Buyers are looking for flaws, and the fewer they see, the better for the seller. Thanks for reading and for your comments…..