Selling Your Home
First Impressions are lasting!
A new real estate related support industry has emerged within the past ten years or so which can be of particular interest to home sellers. I am, of course, referring to the “Home Stager” and the process of objectively helping you to prepare your home for sale. The Professional Home Stager must remain tuned-in to the behavior of buyers so that he/she can recommend how to maximize your home’s appeal and create a positive impact on the buyers as soon as they come through your front door. This can be as simple as rearranging the furnishings, de- personalizing and de-cluttering, or sometimes changing the colour of the room.
More and more real estate agents are recommending a home stager to their Seller clients. Realtors realize that a staged home is one in which everything has been done to ensure the house is ready for sale. The Seller benefits by selling the home faster for the best possible price.
As the saying goes: “You don’t get a second chance to create a first impression.”
Tips to Prepare for the Sale of your Home!
Many homeowners underestimate the importance of this exercise. It may be very difficult because they have developed an emotional attachment to the things they have collected throughout the years of living in the home. However, it will pay dividends in helping your home sell more quickly and getting the best possible price.
The “curb appeal” of your home is extremely important. A well groomed lawn, attractive landscaping and fresh paint or clean siding creates an excellent first impression. This positive impression in turn creates a desire in the Buyer to see the rest of the house. Here are some basic tips to help you:
Clean: make sure everything, in and out of sight, sparkles.
- Clean all appliances and kitchen sink.
- Keep kitchen countertops clean and free of knick-knacks.
- Clean or repaint kitchen cabinets.
- Wash all walls, and windows.
- Shampoo rugs and replace small door mats.
- Clean blinds and draperies.
- Clean all vinyl, ceramic, laminate, and hardwood floors.
- Keep all bathroom fixtures scrubbed and shining.
- Clear off and clean all countertops and vanities in bathroom.
- Remove stains or mildew from tubs and shower.
- Clean out garage, basement and attic.
- If you have pets or if you smoke, make sure your home is odor free. A professional service can guarantee to remove all odors!
De clutter:
- All closets, kitchen and bathroom vanities
- Pack up personal photos, collections, artwork or any valuables that could be accidentally damaged during showings.
- Create space by storing some of the extra furniture which could give the room a crowded impression.
- Remove extra clothing from closets to make them look roomier.
- Scrutinize all shelves and bookcases and eliminate items where possible
Paint:
Carefully examine all painted surfaces to ensure they are clean and fresh. A new coat of paint, where needed, can make a huge difference in the Buyer’s overall impression of your home. Be sure to re touch interior and exterior areas where necessary.
Repair:
- Any leaky faucets and plumbing
- Broken doors, hardware, windows, screens, railings, etc.
- Broken or chipped exterior walkways and fences
- Squeaky door hinges
- Replace burned out light bulbs
The objective of this exercise is to make your home look as bright, clean and spacious as possible. Each time you prepare for a buyer to come through, remember you are “staging” your home for sale. A little time spent making your home warm and inviting really pays off. Potential buyers appreciate a well maintained home and it will sell more quickly.
As already noted, home staging has become very popular and is now recognized as a cost effective means to maximize the sale of a house in the shortest period of time. For those homeowners who are not sure how to go about doing this, there are many professionals now offering this service to homeowners in the London area, who want to help you. Contact me and I will be pleased to give you a list of some who have worked well with my clients.
As soon as the house is “staged” and ready to go on the market, that’s the best time to create a virtual tour and /or take as many digital photos of the various rooms, interesting features, and high lights of the home and gardens as possible. Once the home is listed for sale, these photos are labeled and together with the listing information, uploaded to the public listing site www.Realtor.ca. Your home is then featured on the internet for all the “Internet surfing” buyers to see. We can change and update this internet information as required including the weekly posting of times/dates of public “Open Houses” when one is scheduled at your house.
