Seller Tips

Excerpts from a book by Bernice Ross

Homes presented to their best advantage bring maximum purchase prices. Staging involves making the house look as good as possible, often with minimal cost. Staging takes place after you list the property but before the property is available for showing. The following suggestions will prepare your property for quick selling!

  1. Curb appeal

    Walk outside your property, and walk up to the front door just as a buyer seeing your home for the first time would. What do you notice? Is the property attractive from the street? Is the lawn neatly manicured? If the weather is warm, are flowers blooming in the flowerbeds? Does the house look well maintained from the street? Is there a car parked in the driveway or worse, in the front yard? To achieve the maximum price possible for the property, you must address these curb appeal issues. Upgrading the landscaping, repairing any damage visible from the street, painting the trim, and parking the cars in the garage or on the street can dramatically increase how many people view the property. You want to motivate people to pick up the phone and schedule a showing. If a property looks run down, fewer buyers will be motivated to see it. Less exposure usually translates into a lower price.
  1. Welcoming and inviting

    When buyers walk up to the front door, what do they notice? Does the doorbell work? What about the welcome mat? If it looks ratty, it should be replaced. Does the front door need painting or re-staining? If so, repairing these items can yield a significant return. Ideally, the home should beckon the buyer to walk in and view it.
  1. Clean is a necessity

    Few people are willing to tolerate a dirty house. Granted there are buyers who love fixers or who actively search for probates, but most buyers prefer squeaky-clean properties. Dirty, cluttered properties do not command the same price as pride of ownership. Be sure to have the windows and screens cleaned, all junk removed from the closets and the garage, and any unnecessary clothes or other unused items placed in storage.
  1. Love me – love my pet

    Fluffy may be adorable, but the best place for Fluffy may be away from the home while it is on the market. The primary reason to remove pets is to protect them. It is a nightmare if a pet disappears or is hurt because it escaped during a showing. Worse yet, if the pet harms a potential buyer, it is possible that you could be held liable for serious damages. Protect your animals by keeping them away from the home.

    Another reason to remove pets is the odor. While you may not be aware of the pet smell, visitors are. Like smoking odors, pet smells can be particularly difficult to remove. If you are unable to board your animals, you may want to purchase a quality air purifier. This will eliminate a large portion of the odors. When all else fails, a plug-in air freshener can sometimes mask the smells. Regardless of whether you board your pets, you should clean the carpets, the drapes, and the furniture, as well as any surfaces where the pet normally spends time. Thorough cleaning also helps to eliminate lingering smoke odors as well. Once the house is clean, keep the pets and smokers outside if possible.
  1. Less is more

    Homes crammed with furniture, walls covered with family photos, or cluttered counter tops all convey the same message: “This is my home filled with my possessions.” This makes it particularly difficult for the buyer to imagine their belongings in the property. If the buyers cannot picture themselves living in the property, there is a high probability they will continue to search elsewhere. To obtain the highest price possible for your property, the buyer will need to picture your property as their home. This means removing as many personal mementos as possible. Cluttered properties seldom bring as high a price as properties that look spacious and organized. Clean the house thoroughly and simplify the décor. You will have to do this eventually, so why not now when your home will be fresh on the market and you can get a higher priced offer faster!
  1. Fix it!

    Repair anything that is broken or not functioning properly. Buyers make snap decisions about property condition. While the house may be structurally sound and all major systems working properly, unpainted trim, a leaky faucet, or an inoperable doorbell can give the impression that the property is in poor condition. To give the best impression possible, replace damaged screens and gutters and re-caulk where needed. Remember, a poor impression results in a lower sales price.
  1. Corral the kids

    Make sure the children’s toys are put away. If you are short on space, large plastic storage boxes are a good way to store toys during the listing period. Store the boxes in the garage during showings. Toys can be dangerous, especially for adults who wear bifocals and cannot see the floor clearly.
  1. Common “scents”

    Odors have a strong effect on all humans. A research study testing perfume scents used cinnamon rolls as for comparison. The men in the study overwhelmingly preferred the scent of cinnamon rolls over all perfumes in the study. To create the “cinnamon roll effect,” purchase canned cinnamon rolls and bake them prior to open houses or major showings. If the home has a fireplace, light a fire and use pine potpourri to accentuate the smell of burning wood.
  1. Light and bright

    Most people prefer bright houses. If the trees have blocked the light, have them trimmed prior to listing the property. During showings, remember to open all drapes and to turn on all lights. To increase brightness, be sure to have the windows and skylights cleaned. Also, remember to have all chandeliers cleaned as well as dusting the light bulbs.
  1. Disguise what is ugly

    Sometimes a major room faces an ugly view or the building next door. To change this, a simple white lattice and a few strategically placed plants can change ugly to beautiful. If the furniture is an eyesore, an easy fix is to purchase some slipcovers to give it a fresh look. Another alternative is to drape several attractive throws over the furniture and then add pillows on top of the throws. One important caveat here—you must disclose any structural damage in writing to all potential buyers. Concealing the truth can cost you thousands of dollars.
  1. Give weird colors the brush

    Time after time, properties with strange colored rugs and/or walls will sit on the market until you decide to paint and re-carpet. If you cannot afford to repaint or re-carpet the entire house, at least upgrade the primary rooms, i.e., the primary living area, master bedroom, and kitchen. A slightly different approach is to use computer software from some of the paint companies to repaint the room in your computer. Print out the changes and let potential buyers see what the property looks like once the computer repaints it in their colors.
  1. Create sex appeal

    A new bedspread and plenty of pillows make the bedroom look more inviting. Strategically placed candles, different varieties of attractively packaged bubble bath, and beautifully arranged towels can spiff up a tired bath.

Copyright 2008 Remarcable Homes | Real Estate Web Design by Southern Web Group