Blog

How To Get Your Home In Selling Shape

From the day that your house goes on the market to the day it closes, your property needs to be in “Selling Shape”. It may take a little getting used-to, but you and your family will have to make the transition to thinking about your house as a property and not a home. This is certainly an inconvenience if you’re still living in your house, but the effort is well worth it. So how can we work together to get your property into selling shape? Let’s just follow some simple rules.

FIRST. FIX IT.

Anything that is in your house that is in disrepair and can be easily fixed should be addressed before the home goes up for sale. We’ll want to pay particular attention to the front exterior and the most important rooms in the house: The master bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room.

Wear-and-tear makes buyers uneasy. Minor imperfections tend to turn prospective buyers off, as they overestimate the cost of repairs. A little paint and furniture polish goes a long way! Plus, check all doors are on track, hardware is firmly in place, fix leaky faucets, cracked moulding, and any screens.

NEXT. CLEAN IT.

Clean, clean and more clean. From the inside out, a clean listing is a happy listing. And remember, it’s not good enough to just put things away. Potential buyers will and do open closets and drawers throughout the house when they’re looking at your listing. Be sure to keep personal items that you do not want on display in drawers that are clearly your personal furniture. And don’t overlook utility spaces- the attic, basement, and garage should be as neat as possible.
The more organized you can be, the better.

 

LAST. OPEN IT.

Making your house appear as attractive as possible is largely about allowing potential buyers the opportunity to imagine their lives in your property. As mentioned earlier, professional staging services can help in selling your listing by using design principles and tricks that emphasize space. Creating the appearance of openness and space is key to getting your property sold. Remember, you’re not selling your stuff!
Whether we choose to professionally stage your house or not, here are some simple practices that will help us keep your home looking open and appealing:

1. If it’s smaller than a grapefruit, it needs to be put away. Get rid of or pack away anything that isn’t essential. Everything else that is small but cannot be packed should be put away in a drawer or cabinet during showing appointments.
2. Limit the number of items on top of any surface to 3.
3. Beware of odors: Bad ones and strong ones.
It’s not just the stinky stuff you need to pay attention to. There are obvious problem points that can produce bad smells like the garbage cans and the disposal, but you should consider any strong smell a bad one. Don’t rely on potpourri or air fresheners to mask unpleasant odors. These can be just as offensive to some buyers. Instead, be sure to open your windows when possible to keep fresh air circulating in the house.