Tips to make your house look ‘ready for sale’
You are ready to sell your house. But are you sure your house is ready? Yes, it is important to showcase your house in the best of lights to wow the potential buyers. This is what real-estate agents term as ‘staging your home’. You will certainly be at advantage if you stage your house to throw spotlight on the best assets and make your home stand impressive and attractive. The competitive edge that you will achieve by selling your home quickly, at the best price and at the right time will far outweigh the time, effort and financial investment required for staging your home for potential buyers.
Here are a few time-tested and easy staging tips to make your house look ready for sale:
1. Creating the first impressions
The outside of your house is the first thing the buyers get to see and you know what they say about the first impressions. Even before the buyers have set a foot inside your house, they have already formed an opinion of what lies inside and perhaps made a decision whether to buy or not. Nothing can be more attractive than a beautiful garden or well-maintained lawn. Clean the sidewalks, clean and polish the hardware such as doorknobs, porch lights, mailbox, knocker and locksets. Repair and repaint the fences and consider putting potted plants and flowers at the entrance for a fresh, vibrant look. And finally, a fresh lick of paint will give you more bang than anything else. Give your walls a light, neutral shade to make your home look bigger. The softer, neutral colour will be more appealing to the majority of the crowds than an off-beat color, no matter how much fashionable and trendy it is. All these efforts will help you improve your entrance and make it look more inviting and attractive right at the onset.
2. De-clutter
Let’s face it that we have more stuff lying around then we would really like to have. The most important thing to do when preparing for staging is to clean up and get rid of the clutter. And as the golden rule goes, store up the belongings that have not been used in three months and even better get rid of the ones that have not been utilized for over a year now. If they are in good condition, consider giving them to charity. Not only the clutter distracts the buyers away from important features of your house, it gives the impression that the house is not equipped with enough storage space. The biggest mistake people usually make while de-cluttering is to usually toss or stack everything quickly in the closets and cupboards. Remember, buyers will be interested in opening your cupboards and closets to assess the space for their needs.
3. Clean
The buyers would love to see a clean, sparkling house. Make your living room, hallways, kitchen and bathrooms absolutely spotless. Nobody likes to see a splattered wall or films of grease on the walls or the carpets. Clean everything make the elements looking fresh and new.
4. Repair and renovate
Repair any cracks in the wall, broken door knobs, leaking spouts, cracked tiles as these things are red flags for the potential buyers. It kind of reflects the amount of effort that a buyer would need to put in to make the home habitable after he moves in. Make sure there is no foundation problem.
5. Make it light and airy
If you have old, heavy drapery, it is time to take it off and replace it with something light and airy such as translucent linen or cotton twill. This will allow the natural light to stream into the room and adds an impression of huge space. It also makes the room more vibrant and cheerful. Placing wall mirrors, especially in smaller rooms and hallways, also makes the spaces look bigger and lighter. You can also consider putting soft lamps in strategic corners, adding warm, golden glow to the surroundings.
6. Get rid of the odours and make your house look pretty, warm and inviting
Bad smells – from cooking, smoking, mildew or drains – can pose a threat when showcasing your house to potential buyers. It is best not to camouflage the smells but to get to the source and fix it. Unclog the drains, wash the bins, open windows and air the kitchen to get rid of bad smells. There are a few inexpensive tricks to make your house smell really fresh and pleasant. For example, you can bake apples with cinnamon, burn scented candles or incense, or simply grind half a lemon in the garbage disposal that will help to remove odours from the sink. Light up the fire place if it is chilly day and burn some pinecones for that gorgeous smell.
Let your real-estate agent to do the rest
When it is time to show your house, ask your agent if your presence is required. If there are any queries, it is best that your realtor attends to them. You must leave it to your agent to showcase the best features and highlight the assets of your house. And the same goes for the discussion regarding the price and terms and conditions with the potential buyer.