Douglas J. Sedam
Every seller wants his or her home to sell quickly for a large profit, but it takes more than luck to make this happen. It involves careful planning and knowing how to professionally prepare your home to convince buyers to pull out their checkbooks.
1. Disassociate from Your House
Letting go of your home can be difficult. You have lived there, possibly for years, and the house holds many memories. To detach from it emotionally, you must realize that without you in it, the house is just a shell to be filled by other occupants. Look to the future, where you can make new memories in your next home.
2. Depersonalize Your House
Pack up your personal photographs, family heirlooms, and other objects and clutter that might distract potential buyers and hurt a possible sale. You want to present buyers with an impersonal, clean environment so they can imagine the home perhaps decorated with their own photographs, furniture, and art objects. Depersonalizing your home makes it easier for potential buyers to visualize how the home might look filled with their own items.
3. Declutter Your House
People tend to collect an amazing quantity of items over the years. Reasons for keeping items include an emotional attachment, an intention to reuse or fix the items in the future, or a wish to pass them on to others. However, for many items, if you have not used them in over a year, you probably do not need them.
4. Organize Bedroom Closets and Storage Cabinets
Buyers will be curious about storage space and will want to check closets and cabinets. It is important to ensure these are organized, as it sends a negative message if your storage spaces are cluttered with items falling out.
5. Consider Renting a Storage Unit
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage, along with distracting furniture, artwork, and empty bookcases.
6. Remove or Replace Favorite Items
If you plan on taking certain window coverings, built-in appliances, or fixtures with you, remove them prior to showing the house. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great-grandmother, be sure to take it down before a buyer sees it and asks that it be included with the house.
7. Make Minor Repairs
In some seller’s markets, you can sell a home in lived-in condition without much complaint. But in normal markets or a buyer’s market, repairs can make or break a sale.
8. Make the House Sparkle
Preparing your home to be viewed by potential buyers may require hiring a professional cleaning crew. Cleaning may include washing the windows inside and out; renting a pressure washer and spraying down sidewalks and the exterior; recaulking tubs, showers, and sinks; and polishing chrome faucets and mirrors.
9. Scrutinize Curb Appeal
A potential sale is lost quickly if a buyer won’t even get out of their agent’s car because the exterior of your home turns them off. Make the exterior more appealing and welcoming by painting your front door and, perhaps, adding a wreath of dried wildflowers, or placing one or two flowerpots on your front porch.
10. The Final Step
Back inside your home, linger in the doorway of each room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer. Examine how the furniture is arranged and rearrange pieces until the room achieves visual appeal. Make sure window coverings hang evenly. Once you have cleaned and gotten everything repaired and organized, you can begin staging your home.
Douglas J. Sedam is the Owner/Broker of SBRanchRealty and can be contacted by calling 661-510-0071.