SELL YOUR HOME FASTER!

Prepping and staging your home can be intimidating. Every seller wants her home to sell fast and bring top dollar. How does that sound to you? Well, it’s not luck that makes it happen. Careful planning and knowing how to perfectly spice up your home to send home buyers looking for their checkbooks. Here’s some tips on how to prep your home and turn it irresistible & very marketable in a short time frame.

1. BEFORE ALL ELSE- Disassociate Yourself With Your Home.

• Say to yourself, “This is not my home; it is a house that will soon be sold.
• Make the mental decision to “let go” of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.
• Don’t look backwards — look toward the future. De-Personalize.
  Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can’t see past personal artifacts, and we don’t want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can’t do that if yours are there! You don’t want to make any buyer ask, “I wonder what kind of people li
  ve in this home?” You want buyers to say, “I can see myself living here.” 

2. De-Clutter!
People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven’t used it in over a year, you probably don’t need it.

• If you don’t need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
• Remove all books from bookcases.
• Pack up those knickknacks.
• Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
• Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.
• Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.

3. Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets.
Buyers love to open up every closet and cabinet. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well.  The details really do matter! This means:

• Take out what you aren’t using.
• Neatly stack dishes.
• Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.
• Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
• Line up shoes.

4. Rent a Storage Unit.
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hinder paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around. If renting a storage unit isn’t feasible then place everything in one location such as an unfinished basement, garage or storage room. You don’t want buyers scratching their heads and saying, “What is this room used for?” 

5. Remove/Replace Favorite Items.

If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, she won’t want it. Once you tell a buyer she can’t have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.

6. Make Minor Repairs

• Patch holes in walls.
• Fix leaky faucets
• Fix doors that don’t close or kitchen drawers that jam.
• Consider paint your walls neutral colors, especially if you have really bright or unnatural hues.
• Replace burned-out light bulbs.
• If you’ve concerned replacing a worn bedspread or piece of furniture, do so now!

7. Make the House Sparkle!

• Wash windows inside and out.
• Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
• Clean out cobwebs.
• Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
• Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
• Clean out the refrigerator.
• Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
• Bleach dingy grout.
• Replace worn rugs.
• Hang up fresh towels.
• Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no.

8. Now Scrutinize.

• Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you?
• Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer.
• Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense.
• Make sure window coverings hang level.
• Tune in to the room’s statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and pizzazz?
• Does it look like nobody lives in this house? Perfect, you nailed it!!

If you would like a free seller’s consultation, give us a call and we would love to meet with you!