First impressions are extremely
important when you're trying to sell
your property. A first impression is
exactly that… a one-time opportunity…
there's no such thing as a second first
impression.
You want a good impression to greet
and persist with potential buyers, not
just from the street, but also
throughout your property. There are many
quick, easy and inexpensive things you
can do to assure that a buyer's
perceived value will match or exceed
actual market value, and/or support your
asking price, resulting in a timely
sale. Josh can
provide you with guidance &
recommendations for things you can
easily do (usually at little or no cost)
to greatly enhance the all-important
“first impression”, overall appeal, and
the ultimate salability of your home.
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Have your lawn, foliage, plants
and landscaping well-groomed,
making the property appealing
and inviting. Mowing, pruning,
weeding, and trimming cost
virtually nothing, but can
contribute significantly to the
overall impression that a
well-maintained yard & landscape
implies that the same is true
for the house as well.
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Eliminating/repairing peeling &
chipped paint also contributes
to good impressions. If your
house was built before 1978,
federal law requires that the
seller complete a lead-based
paint disclosure statement for
the buyer. You may or may not
know if such paint exists on
your property, but you could
choose to have an inspection
done beforehand, and provide the
results to the buyer, which
would help to assure them that
no such “surprises” await them.
Such voluntary “up-front”
disclosures can boost a buyer's
trust in the seller and
confidence level in the
property's status/condition,
further increasing the
likelihood that an offer may
result. |
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Making sure that your house is
clean & tidy before showings can
make all the difference in the
world. Pay special attention to
all windows (inside and out),
and everything in the kitchen
and all bathrooms, since these
are areas where buyers tend to
make significant value and
acceptability judgments.
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Establish an inviting and
comfortable ambiance. Soothing,
pleasant but light aromas can
help make a house feel more like
a home. The sense of smell can
greatly influence a home's
appeal, with stimuli such as
cooking and baking, fresh, clean
air, floral scents, mild
incense, potpourri, and other
subtle aromatic items. Avoid
harsh chemical & medicinal
smells, eliminate offensive
odors (pets, tobacco, etc) and
pay special attention to
bathrooms. Also, soft background
music can subliminally influence
a buyer's “comfort” level,
making it feel warm, cozy,
secure and “homey”. These small
touches can make a big
difference! |
You'll often find that when Realtors®
talk about “buying”, they'll refer to
the purchase as a "home." Yet when
selling, they'll refer to it as a
"house." The reason is that buying real
estate is often an emotional decision,
whereas selling requires you to remove
emotion from the equation. 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. Failing
to recognize this distinction can create
a situation where it takes longer to
sell your property.
Consider a new subdivision with many new
homes being offered by a volume builder.
What you'll typically find are some
tastefully furnished models that
anyone could live in. They are
“generic” or “anonymous”, with nothing
that feels like “personal” items. There
may be "personality", but no person.
ou'll want to make your home
"anonymous" so that buyers will feel
that they've walked into their
potential home, not visiting or
intruding into someone else's personal
space. Minimize your own expression of
“self” by putting away family photos,
sports trophies, collectible items,
knick-knacks, souvenirs and the like,
all of which can be distractions from
what you want them to really see… the
home itself. Don't just stash such items
in a closet or storage space, because
another important part of preparing a
house for sale is to minimize "clutter”.
This issue can be difficult for sellers
because of emotional attachment to
virtually everything in the house. Years
of living in the same home allows
clutter to accumulate in ways not
obvious or objectionable to sellers, but
it can dramatically affect how buyers
perceive the home.
Over time, clutter collects
everywhere… in drawers, closets
cabinets, garages, attics, basements,
storage spaces, sheds & barns, porches,
workshops, on shelves, counter tops,
floors & walls, tabletops, window sills,
stairways, to name just a few. It can
consist of excess or tightly arranged
furniture, accumulations of personal
memorabilia, souvenirs, knick-knacks, or
simply miscellaneous “stuff”.
To minimize any sense of confinement
and promote a sense of openness &
spaciousness, you'll want as much
clear/open space as possible, which
means eliminating many such items. Be
objective, and let your High Valley
Realtor® assist you in seeing and
evaluating your home as buyers will.
Here are some examples of areas where
you should address the “clutter” issue:
Kitchen:
Clear the counters. Everything…
toasters, blenders, can openers,
everything. Put all such items in
cabinet & drawers and take them out
only when needed. If you find that
you don't have enough cabinet/drawer
space to store everything,
re-arrange or clear them out as
needed. Dishes, pots, pans &
utensils that are rarely used should
be neatly relocated in a separate
storage area.
Why all the fuss? Buyers will
open your cabinets and drawers,
especially in the kitchen. They'll
want to see if there's enough room
for their "stuff." If your cabinets,
pantries & drawers seem jammed full,
it creates a negative impression,
diminishing any sense plentiful
storage space. If you have a "junk
drawer," eliminate the junk. Do this
with every cabinet, drawer & kitchen
space. Let buyers find an abundance
of extra space for “their stuff”.
If you have large amounts of
foodstuffs crammed into the shelves
or pantry, begin using them –
especially canned goods – they're
heavy and you don't want to be
lugging them to a new house anyway –
or paying a mover to do so.
Under the sink is important too.
Make sure this area is as empty (and
clean) as possible. If there are any
tell-tale signs of water leakage,
take care if it now.
Closets:
Closets are very efficient
clutter gatherers – boxes full of
“stuff”, rarely worn clothes &
shoes, you name it. Do without these
items while marketing/showing your
property, as they can create the
illusion that “the closets are too
small”, or “there isn't enough
closet space in this house”.
Furniture:
It's common to have too much
furniture in certain rooms – perhaps
not too much for your own lifestyle,
but enough to diminish the illusion
of space that buyers want to feel.
Consider re-arranging or eliminating
any pieces that you can live
without, with the intent to create
an impression for the buyer that
“there's plenty of room for our
stuff here”.
Storage Areas:
Closets, storage rooms, garages,
attics, basements, cabinets, lockers
and sheds accumulate not just
clutter, but junk as well. Such
areas should be as empty as
possible, giving buyers the
impression that there's more than
enough extra storage space available
for their needs. Is it time for a
yard sale?
There are many places on your property
that may need a little extra attention
and TLC in preparation for listing,
showing and selling. Every situation is
different, but keep in mind that
sometimes the tiniest detail can “make
or break” the likelihood of getting an
offer. Consider objectively evaluating
(and possibly correcting or improving)
the condition, appearance, impact,
functionality and appeal of the
following:
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Plumbing Fixtures – toilets,
faucets, sinks, showers, tubs,
sprinklers, etc. |
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Electrical – fixtures,
chandeliers, switches, outlets,
bulbs, fans, etc. |
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Environmental – heating,
cooling, ventilation, air &
water conditioning, etc.
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Appliances – Refrigerator,
dishwasher, disposal,
washer/dryer, compactor,
microwave, range/oven, etc.
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Surfaces – ceilings, walls, art
niches, steps/stairways, etc.
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Floors – carpets, tiles, wood,
inlays, etc. |
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Openings – windows, doors,
skylights, etc. |
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Interior – odors,
confined/cluttered areas, dark
areas, etc. |
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Exterior – siding, roofing,
landscaping, sheds, pets,
foliage, trimming, etc.
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Street – curb appeal, front
door/entry, driveways,
sidewalks, etc. |
Don't leave anything to chance… if
it's something you would
notice when looking for your
new home, now is the time to
acknowledge and deal with it…
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