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A few more notes about getting your house ready for sale.
SEPARATION IS IN THE PREPARATION
Love At First Sight
When selling your house, first impressions matter.
And actually, your home buyer has many first impressions during the home buying process. And all of them matter.
There is the first impression of seeing your house online. The pictures and video they see there. There is the first impression of the neighborhood, as the buyer drives through, on the way to your house. Then there is the first impression of parking the car and looking up at your house for the first time. And of course, the first impression as they walk through the front door.
All of these first impressions matter and can impact the sale of your house. It’s either love at first sight or… On to the next!!!
How do you make a good first impression?
Not every home seller has the cash or desire to put on new siding or paint the exterior. Or to install new hardwood floors. Or do a complete kitchen remodel. That’s OK. Some quick, small attention to details, can play a big impact in the first impression of your house.
If you have questions about what you should do to bring the highest price vs what is a waste of time and money, we can help.
Making More Space Makes An Easier Sale:
It’s a simple reality of home ownership: The longer you live in a house the more things you collect. Maybe you have a plate collection. You still haven’t bought into the idea of the Kindle so you’re still buying physical books and magazines. Or maybe you have your favorite sports team memorabilia everywhere. Everyone and every house seems to have a thing it “collects”.
It’s time to pack’em up and ship’em out.
These things might have sentimental value to you, but they don’t increase the value of your home. These are “collections” to you, but they are “clutter” to prospective home buyers. Decorating to sell, otherwise known as home staging, and decorating to live are two entirely different things.
Decluttering your home accomplishes two things; it makes it easier for you to keep clean and it helps the buyer picture the space as “theirs”. With more space available, it’s easier for the buyer to picture room for their things. If you are having trouble dealing with the idea of packing your things up and storing away, just remember: More space, easier sale. This isn’t just about the immediately visible areas either. This means the garage, the closets and storage areas. If a prospective buyer sees a three car garage full of boxes and “stuff” they assume the house is “too small”.
So don’t take your items, box ’em up and just put in the garage. The garage needs to be decluttered too. If your closets are full of jackets and clothes, box up the things that are in season right now and add to your “ship’em out” category.
Just remember; More space, easier sale.
Many home staging experts recommend removing half your furniture from the house. Accent tables, extra mixed matched chairs, cabinets and display units that hold huge collections are good choices for removal. For example, a dining room table with chairs should be kept in the room while a china cabinet would be removed. Remove the china cabinet from the dining room because it adds space to the room.
If you can’t remove the cabinet at least remove all of the stacks of china, crystal and personal items. Leave one or two items on each shelf for show, but the rest should be out of sight.
As Home Staging Expert, Dorothy Featherling says, “We’re not trying to sell your stuff, we’re trying to sell your house.”
Depersonalize the space
Remove your teenage daughter’s poster of Justin Bieber from her bedroom, the stuffed deer head from the study (unless it’s a log cabin, then it fits) and any partisan items like political posters, flags, books or magazines from the family room. The space should be neutral, so potential buyers can picture their own belongings in each room.
Remind your family members that they can have these items back as soon as the house is under contract or in the next house. Just as it’s good to remember that space sells, it is also important to remember The Rule of Three.
Rule of Three
The golden rule of home staging is three items per surface, whether it’s a wall, tabletop or mantel. Quantity takes up space and remember more space, easier sale. The rule of three applies to small rooms, as well, while larger rooms may get six pieces — four chairs, a table and a lamp in a dining room, for example.
If decluttering seems like an overwhelming task, just remember two things. First, reducing clutter makes each room easier to clean. And you will have to keep your house in “show ready” condition and do a quick clean quite often while on the market.
Plus, in no time at all, you’ll be moving.
The more you clean out or pack now, the easier it will be to pack up for the move after your house sells.
Half The Closet
Storage is something every home buyer is looking for and can never have enough of. Take half the stuff out of your closets and then neatly organize what’s left in there. Buyers will snoop, so be sure to keep your closets (and cabinets) clean and tidy.
Getting OCD
An easy way to remember the preparation process when selling your home is to remember OCD.
O organize
C clean
D declutter
QUESTIONS about getting your house ready, picking market price, marketing to the most buyers, negotiation or the transaction process?
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