In good markets and in bad, it is true that homes with superior "staging"
always sell the quickest and for the highest price per square foot.
If you are about to place your home on the market, or if your home has been on the market for a reasonable amount of time without selling, a few decorator tips and current color selections may be all you need to sell your home. One of the most successful techniques we have used to "stage" a home is to have a professional interior decorator make recommendations for our clients. Frequently, owners acquire too much furniture over the years for the size of home they are in. Decorators have a wonderful eye for correct furniture placement, the ideal amount of furniture, and interior color selections to maximize the desirability of our listings.
SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS TO CONSIDER ARE:
1. Try looking at your property objectively while parked in front of your home.
Remember to use a buyer's point-of-view to make your analysis. Is the street
appeal of your home among the best in the neighborhood? If not, what changes
would need to be made in order for your home to honestly become one of the most
desirable in the neighborhood? Buyers readily notice overgrown trees and bushes,
deteriorating or dated paint colors, or any other feature of the home, which
is undesirable. The next owner of your home will need to feel good about the
street appeal of your property before a purchase decision can be made.
2. Upon entering your home, be sure buyers are treated to a brighter, cleaner
and more organized home than the competition is offering. Open draperies, leave
lights on in darker areas of the home and eliminate non-essential items from
all counter tops, cupboards, and closets. You might want to actually look through
a few of the nicer listed properties in your neighborhood to become fully knowledgeable
of how your competition shows compared to your home!
3. Walk through the property looking for any furniture, which even slightly
obstructs the traffic flow. Be very sensitive to rooms with large furniture
or too much furniture. Regardless of the actual size of your home, if your furniture
or decorating makes rooms appear cramped your home will be perceived to be too
small or, perhaps, non-functional to many buyers.
4. Dated colors will make your home virtually impossible to sell in a slow
or declining marketplace. In a good market, dated colors in a home will generally
ensure a slow sale at a lower price per square foot than other homes within
your area. Taking down old wall paper, repainting where needed, changing carpets,
counter tops, and draperies, etc., may be expensive, but the return on your
investment can be as high as ten of dollars for every dollar spent correctly
modernizing your home. The benefit of properly "staging" your home
will be a quick sale at the high priced end of your marketplace.
IS YOU HOME READY TO SELL?
If you have ever been in model homes, you know how good they look. The thought
might have even crossed your mind that you would like to have, not only the
home, but all of the furniture, the pictures, the flower arrangements and even
the knickknacks on the shelves.
There are things that can be done to give your home that "model home"
look, so prospective buyers will pick your home before others on the market.
When homes have this kind of appeal, they sell quickly and usually for the highest
price possible. Another interesting characteristic of homes that look great
is that the transaction is usually hassle-free.
The property needs to look good from the street, on up the sidewalk, from the
front porch, throughout the house and even in the darkest closets. You definitely
want your home to give the impression that it has been well cared for and offers
a high level of quality.
THE ABSOLUTE BASICS - WAYS TO MAKE MORE MONEY FROM SELLING!
Start by airing out the home. You are the last person to notice any peculiar
odor in your home that may be blatantly obvious to visitors. Go on a search
to find the offender. It may be a kitty litter box or a dog bed. It might even
be a mildewed shower.
Next, wash all the windows in the house, inside and out. While you are at it,
clean the windowsills and the bottom of the window jambs, and wash the blinds.
The money spent on professional carpet shampooing will be returned two for one.
Bare floors should also be waxed or polished.
Put brightest light bulbs allowed by the fixture manufacture in every socket.
Buyers like bright and cheery looking rooms the best. You will also want to
keep the drapes and shades open during the day because it will make the property
look bigger, brighter and better than your competition.
The next item on the required list is to clean the garage, the basement and
all of the closets and cabinets. Get rid of things. Pack up everything that
you didn't use in the last year. My motto is "When in Doubt, Throw it out!"
Do it without conscience or remorse. The main reason is that it will make every
room look larger.
Closets should look as if they have enough room to hold additional items. You
might need to box up off-season clothes to make it look that way. Get everything
off the floor and do not have the shelves piled to the ceiling.
Another basic requirement for home preparation is to be sure there is not too
much furniture in a room. Even though it may be inconvenient, you will be far
better off by selecting the pieces that look best and putting the others in
the garage, basement, or better yet... storage. You can rent a storage unit
for a few dollars a month.
You will want to go over the kitchen like a health inspector. Clean the oven
and keep it that way, even if it means eating out more often. After cleaning
the range, put new drip pans under the burners, or at least, cover the old ones
with foil. Clean around the seal of the door to the dishwasher. Remove everything
off of the counter except for those items that are absolutely necessary to daily
living.
Bathtubs, showers and sinks should be freshly caulked. All the grout should
be clean and in good condition. There should be no leaks in the faucets or traps.
Put fresh or new towels out in the bathrooms and replace the shower curtain,
if needed.
Keep toys out of the front yard and off the sidewalks and front porch. Help
your children to understand the importance of keeping the house in "selling
condition" while it is on the market. Take down any posters from walls
until the house is sold also.
Recognize the difference between decorator touches and clutter.
Less is definitely better. It is always best to keep the radio and television
turned off while the home is being shown. If a buyer has a different taste in
music than you do, your selections can be distractive or even annoying to the
buyer. They may have a difficult time seeing your home.
Go over the woodwork with a polish or cleaner. It brightens the wood and covers
scratches. A touch-up product is great for scratches in stained woodwork. It
comes in various stain colors.
If you can't perform a garage sale, consider donating items to charity. Make
a list of all the items and their estimated value. The donation is tax deductible
and may be worth more to you than the time and effort you would put into a garage
sale.
A FINAL NOTE . . .
Having your home on the market can be a very stressful and trying time. Please
keep in mind the importance of preparing your home for sale, and keeping it
in "SHOW HOME " condition. Think of it as "MONEY IN
YOUR POCKET" because that is what it literally is.
The better you have your home "staged" for showings, the more money
it will command from a prospective buyer and in a shorter period of time. The
better prepared everything is the quicker it will sell.
YOUR EFFORTS WILL PAY OFF IN DOLLARS RETURNED TO YOU.
It is very important that your home shows well. Everyone's aware that it can't
always be perfect. After all, you and your family must live there, too. Develop
a routine that will allow you to be prepared to show in a reasonable period
of time. This means that certain things must be done in advance. For example,
beds should be made up first thing in the morning and dirty dishes placed in
the dishwasher after each use so that you won't have to rush around tending
to these matters at the last minute. This way you can prepare for each showing
in an organized, hassle-free routine.
