I’ve prepared some helpful tips for you (below) as you prepare to place your house on the real estate market. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me using the contact information at the bottom of this email.
Disconnect Your Emotions
When conversing with real estate agents, you will often find that when they talk to you about buying real estate, they will refer to your purchase as a „home.“ Yet if you are selling property, they will often refer to it as a „house.“ There is a reason for this. Buying real estate is often an emotional decision, but when selling real estate you need to remove emotion from the equation.
You need to think of your house as a marketable commodity. Property. Real estate. Your goal is to get others to see it as their potential home, not yours. If you do not consciously make this decision, you can inadvertently create a situation where it takes longer to sell your property.
The first step in getting your home ready to sell is to „de-personalize“ it. You should remove all photographs and other small items from table-tops. Buyers should be allowed to imagine their personal possessions in the home, not look at yours. You should also put away your personal collections so that buyers don’t get so interested in looking at them that they forget to look at the house.
Create a Mood
* Is there a mood that you could create? If you’re near a coast, how about breezy fabrics and blue-green colors that remind us of the beach? If you’re in the mountains, maybe you could go rustic. Study the house and brainstorm with friends or family members to come up with ideas.
* Remove heavy drapes that keep out natural light, especially if there’s a great view out the windows.
* Bake bread during showings, or place a fresh loaf in a basket on the counter.
* Classical music playing softly in the background is nice, but choose something that enhances the mood you are trying to create.
Make Sure It’s Your House They Come Back to for a Second Look
Here’s a critical bit of home selling advice: don’t even think of putting your house on the market until you’ve taken a close look at its condition. You usually only have one shot at impressing potential home buyers, so take some time now to prepare the house for showings and you might be rewarded with a faster sale and a higher offer. In order to do so though, you must trust your instincts. Ask yourself what changes would make immediate improvements and what features you want to show off the most. Evaluate your own home as if you were a first time buyer.
You will find some other various home prep advice tips below.
Outdoor Tasks
* Paint the front door and front entrance. The door is the face of the house and one of the first things people notice. Make sure front entrance lights work.
* Keep the lawn and landscaping tidy, even if you have to hire someone to do it.
* Store or organize items that make the yard look messy.
* Outdoor lighting makes the home inviting in the evenings–when many buyers do drive-bys of properties.
Indoor Tasks
* Remove clutter from the kitchen. Keep the sink clean, free from dishes. Clean the refrigerator and degrease the oven. Take drastic action to get a Spartan look.
* Get rid of any odors. Get rid of ashtrays. Use an air freshener if the house does not smell right. Eliminate the smell of dogs, cats, kids, spicy food, etc. Odors are hard to explain away and are always noticed. If necessary, bake cookies or an apple pie – – a good smell for the open house!
* Put away small kitchen appliances and other items that are sitting on countertops and tables.
* Organize closets and cabinets so that they do not appear full and busting at the seams.
Want an extra edge on your competition? Visit our website at the address below and get the full list of our proven home seller tips, plus other valuable information for home sellers, to help you sell your home faster and for more money.
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