When selling your home, there are Four Focus Factors important to obtaining your best results:
- Location
- Condition/Appearance
- Pricing
- Marketing
Although we can't change the Location Factor, our experience and expertise will help you make the best of the other three. And doing so is critical -- there are currently hundreds of homes for sale in this area. Yours must stand out.
You view your house as your home: buyers view it as their potential home. If they do not like what they see, they will not buy it. You must look at your home objectively, from a buyer's point of view. We will help you with this prior to listing your home.
In terms of optimizing the condition and appearance of your home, there are five keys to preparing your home for sale: Neutralize, Repair, Clear, Clean and Comfort. When neutralizing and clearing, remember that you will soon be moving anyway--take this opportunity to start packing.
At first glance, some of the details you will see below may appear to be silly, or even insulting. But, trust me, you cannot afford to view them in this light if you want to sell your home for the highest dollar in the shortest amount of time.
Neutralize:
1. Remove items of a personal nature. This includes photos, certificates, awards, college degrees, etc. Buyers need to imagine this as their home, not see it as your home.
2. Leave as few "personal opinions" visible as possible. For example, if you collect cat memorabilia, pack these items away. These can turn off buyers who are not cat fans. And do not display items conveying political opinions.
3. If you love bright colors and have painted every room a different one, repaint with neutral colors.
4. Consider changing brightly colored carpet with a neutral carpet. This can actually be cost-effective for you.
Repair:
1. 'All' buyers will require a home inspection and will also require that any problems found be repaired at the seller's expense. You might as well make as many repairs as you can up front rather than later: your home will make a better impression.
2. At a minimum, do these simple things: Replace any burned out light bulbs. Fix doors that scrape or won't close properly. If you have any water stains under a sink, replace the stained baseboard. Replace any cracked window panes and bent or torn screens.
Clear:
1. Remove 'clutter'. Here are a couple of examples... That box of Kleenex you keep next to the couch may be handy for you, but it is a distraction to a buyer. If you collect magnets on your fridge, put them away: they distract buyers from evaluating your kitchen and seeing themselves in it.
2. A good rule of thumb is to keep all horizontal surfaces (counters, coffee tables, etc.) as free of items as possible, except for a few well-chosen decorative pieces and a couple of small (clean!) kitchen appliances. A great way to start on this is to visit the model homes of a couple of local builders. Note the number and nature of items left on the horizontal surfaces.
3. If you have rooms 'stuffed' with furniture, try to remove a few pieces. This will make the rooms look larger and brighter.
4. Tidy up your closets and pantry. Buyers WILL look in them. If they are stuffed with things, the buyers will get the impression that the home doesn't have enough storage space.
Clean:
1. If the carpets are dirty, or if there is a smoker in the home, or if there are pet odors, have the carpets professionally cleaned. Same with the drapes if you have any. If there is a smoker there, if at all possible, have them smoke outside during the time that your house is on the market (but don't leave a container full of butts on the patio!).
2. Clean the oven(s), stove, vent and microwave. If you are selling the refrigerator with the house, clean its interior as well. Keep all sinks, toilets, tubs and showers looking clean.
3. Rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher so that opening its door is as pleasant an experience as possible,
4. Dust ceiling fans, blinds, window sills and wall-mounted light fixtures.
5. Wash your windows inside and out, and clean the screens.
6. In general, keep the home neat and clean, and keep the beds made.
7. Weed and clean up the back yard. You want buyers to see themselves enjoying a BBQ in their yard.
Add Comfort:
1. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. The first things buyers see is your home's curb appeal (or lack thereof). The yard should be neat and the entrance inviting. This can be as simple as placing a potted plant at the front door. If your front door is dirty, paint it. Keep the front approach swept.
2. If you have a dining room table, set it with plates, napkins, silverware and a centerpiece. This looks comforting and helps the buyers imagine themselves entertaining family and friends there.
3. Make sure the home is maintained at a comfortable temperature. This is not the time to save a few dollars by turning down the air conditioning on warm days. If buyers feel uncomfortable, they will either be immediately turned off or spend less time than they otherwise would in the home.
4. Leave drapes or blinds as open as you can: you want the home to look as bright and cheery as possible.
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