Thursday, January 9, 2014

Warming Up to Sell


Are You Thinking of Selling in the New Year?

It may be below zero with the wind chill, but here are some indoor things you can do to get your home ready to list:

  1. Take some pictures of each room in your home.  Take an objective look at them.  Imagine you're the buyer and looking for a house to buy. Try to view the pictures the way a buyer would.  Do the rooms look cluttered? Do the rooms have good flow from one to another?  Is there too much furniture?
  2. Start with the main areas of the house such as the Kitchen, Living         Room, Family Room, Master Bedroom and Master Bathroom.
  3. Make some piles of things to pack, to sell, to give away or donate. (A   home doesn't need to be cold and empty in order to list.)  Start packing and remove your piles.  Consider renting a storage unit if you don't have room in the home to store them.

Things to pack:
  1. Pack away formal portraits.  You want buyer's to be able to see themselves living in the space.
  2. Pack up expensive breakable collectibles to avoid them getting damaged during showings.
  3. Pack away items that you don't need to use daily, such as large cooking items you use once a year.
  4. Go through cabinets and closets to purge items.  Consider getting plastic containers or baskets for under the sinks or in linen closets to give the spaces an organized appearance. 
Why do Home Stagers and Agents ask you to take down personal items and start packing?


Here are a few of homes I've staged before and after photos:

                                                
Before

                                                    
After


Before

                                                    
After

                                                           
Before

                                                             
After

Before

                                                             
After



When a Buyer walks through the product you are selling (your home), we want them to get a spacious feeling.  The Buyers should be able to walk room to room without bumping into furniture.  The rooms should have good flow, a good arrangement of furniture to help the rooms show well.  When there is too much of your personal belongings the Buyer can become distracted looking at your items instead of looking at the product you are selling.  Organizing the closets and cabinets shows the Buyer there is plenty of storage space throughout the home.

When you prepare your product/home prior to listing it this allows the Agent to get great pictures for the listing and start showing it sooner.  Isn't that the ultimate goal?  Show the properties positive features and sell it for top dollar.

Now that your product has been depersonalized, uncluttered, organized, it's time to freshen up towels and hand towels to display for listing pictures and showings.  This is also a great time to give your product a good cleaning. Some professional cleaners offer Whole House cleanings, where the house is cleaned top to bottom including windows.  This is a terrific option if you work and just don't have the time to accomplish this task.  Well worth the money!





Working with a Home Stager will help you accomplish everything you need to get and have your home listed quickly.  As a Home Stager I make sure my clients homes flow nicely from room to room and highlight any positive focal points in the home. I offer paint suggestions if needed to give the home a fresh clean feel.  It is amazing what a little painting can do to update a space and tie the rooms together. 







So enjoy the winter by getting your home ready for the Real Estate market!