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It’s time to sell your home and others in your neighborhood have decided to do the same. Now, you are competing against all of them. There, quite possibly, will be numerous other houses offering similar features. How will you make your house stand out?
Step Up Your Curb Appeal: There are just a few seconds to make an impression on a buyer, so when the buyer pulls up it has to be great. Take a good look around at the exterior, landscaping, driveway, and any other component that contributes to your home’s overall curb appeal. Your well-maintained and landscaped front yard, clean exterior walls and windows, and welcoming front entrance will be sure to get prospective buyers to come inside.
It is said that people develop an emotional attachment to a home within the first few minutes and the curb appeal is the first thing they notice when they get to your home. Other homes on the market will have their homes in tip-top shape on the exterior, so you have got to match, even exceed their efforts.
Depersonalize the Inside and Hire a Stager: Vacant homes that are staged typically show much better than occupied homes because it enables buyers to easily see themselves moving into them. However, not everyone can simply move out of their home when they put it on the market. The next step would be to completely depersonalize each room and make it look as if it’s a model home.
Take down your family photos and political or religious accessories, and replace them with more neutral pieces. Pack up any collections or pieces that would only be meaningful to you and not necessarily to the average buyer. By creating this depersonalized, neutral space you will help buyers visualize themselves as owners of the home, which is exactly what will entice them to put in an offer.
Hire a professional stager who will take emotion out and remove items and reshuffle furniture. Staging your home for sale can feel like a luxury. But when you’re competing with your neighbors for buyers’ attention, staging your home can help sell your home faster.
Repair, Replace, and Dust: Go through each room with a fine tooth comb and search and fix any scuff marks on the walls or chips in the tiles. It can be too easy to overlook these minor items, but fixing them can go a long way in improving the overall look and feel of your home. Replace any loose hardware on cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms as well as make sure there are not any loose doorknobs. Be certain of working lights and lamps and have them on if a room needs to be brighter. Open the curtains and raise the shades! If you have hardwood floors are they in need of refinishing, staining, or shining?
Dust your ceiling fan blades, the corners of each room, the light fixtures, and behind doors. Most of us forget about the cobwebs and dust bunnies that collect.
Provide Printed Additional Information: Have notes detailing what the home comes with – appliances, chandeliers, drapes, play structures outside, and anything else that will keep your home as the front runner. Are there any historical details? Did you just replace the roof, if not how old is it? Is the water pressure, air conditioning, heat, and even fireplace worth showcasing? How long is the commute to downtown? Any good local information? Try to tap into anything that would make your home better than the neighbor’s home for sale.
The Bottom Line: Choose a real estate agent you are comfortable with and rely on their knowledge to help you sell your home fast. Your realtor should be experienced enough to price your home right and be realistic about its value. These are just a few tricks to help your home stand out.