Setting the Stage for a Quick Sell
Making
a good first impression can mean the difference between receiving
serious offers for your home or being subjected to months of
lookie-loos dropping by but never buying.
How can you ensure that your home will make the best impression possible? Here are six tips for savvy home sellers:
1. Focus on curb appeal. The
outside of your house can be the source of a very good first
impression. Keep the grass well-watered and mowed. Have your trees
trimmed. Cut back overgrowth. Plant some blooming flowers. Keep toys,
bicycles, gardening equipment and the like out of sight. Have at least
the front of your house and the trim painted, if necessary. Sweep the
porch and the front walkway. After dark, turn on your front porch light
and any other exterior lighting, create a warm, inviting look.
2. Clear out the clutter. Real
estate agents say buyers won't purchase a home they can't see. Or more
importantly, see themselves in it! If your home has too much furniture,
overflowing closets, crowded kitchen and bathroom countertops or lots
of family photos or collectibles on display, potential buyers won't be
able to really see your home. Get rid of anything you don't need
or use. Fill up your garage or rent some off-site storage space!
3. Use your nose. Many
people are oblivious to scents, but others are extremely sensitive to
offensive odors. To eliminate bad smells, bathe your pets, freshen the
cat litter box frequently, shampoo your carpets, dry clean your drapes,
and empty trash cans, recycling bins and ash trays. Place open boxes of
baking soda in smell-prone areas, and refrain from cooking fish or
strong-smelling foods. Introduce pleasing smells by placing flowers or
potpourri in your home and using air fresheners. Baking a fresh or
frozen pie or some other fragrant treat is another common tactic.
4. Make all necessary repairs. Buyers
expect everything in their new home to operate safely and properly.
Picky buyers definitely will notice-and likely magnify -- minor
maintenance problems you've ignored for months or even years. Leaky
faucets, burned-out light bulbs, painted-shut or broken windows,
inoperable appliances and the like should be fixed before you put your
home on the market. These repairs may seem small, but left undone they
can lead buyers to question whether you've taken good care of your
home.
5. Introduce lifestyle accessories and make your home as comfortable and attractive as possible. Set
the dining room table with your best dishes. Put out your
only-for-company towels. Make up the spare bed. Hang some fresh
curtains. Put some logs in the fireplace. Dress your home as if it were
being photographed for a magazine. Use your imagination.
6. Get a buyer's-eye view. Walk
up to your home and pretend you've never seen it before. What do you
notice? How do you feel about what you see? Does the home seem
inviting? Well-maintained? Would you want to buy this home? Get friends
and family members to do the same, just like proof reading -- they can
see things you don't.
Make Every Moment Count
in your real estate experience!
Fill
out the form below for a FREE consultation! Or, visit my "Real
Estate Tips" page for information about staging your home on your own.
Statistics:
To view the following chart in .pdf format, click here |
| Nationwide Trends and Staging Statistics |
| Type of Home | Average Days on Market | Average Days to Pending Status After Staging | | Equity Increase |
| Homes Listed for Sale Prior to Staging (These
homes were not Staged for sale, listed and did not sell. Homes
then Staged by an ASP and SOLD). | 136 days (4.5 months) | 7.6 days | Up to 20 times faster than un-Staged homes! | 3%
minimum or $26,000 average (As much as 50% and $500,000 in some markets) |
| Homes Listed for Sale After Staging (These houses were Staged by an ASP and then listed for sale). | 32-42 days (for un-Staged, comparable homes). | 6.8 days | 2-3 times faster! | 3%
minimum or $26,000 average (As high as 50% and $500,000 in some markets) |
| 2004-2005
StagedHomes.com survey of 200 homes prepared for sale by an Accredited
Staging Professional (ASP™). Stage®
is a Federally registered trademark of Stagedhomes.com. All
rights reserved. Accredited Staging Professional is a trademark
of StagedHomes.com. All rights reserved. Copyright 2004
StagedHomes.com and Jennie Norris. |
