Preparing Your Home for Sale
Our Goal
For your home to impress buyers more than any other. When buyers are viewing your home in person, they will be accompanied by their Realtor. They will most likely be looking at 5-7 competing homes in a short time period. When buyers are viewing your home online, they may be viewing dozens or even hundreds of other homes at the same time. Whether online or in person, we need to make sure your home stands out from the pack as their favorite.
Curb Appeal
It is important that the home’s curb appeal be all that it can be. Otherwise potential buyers may not even stop to look. Here’s a few things to make the yard and the front of the home look its best.
- Keep the lawn mowed, but not too short. Set the blade on high to keep grass looking full.
- Turn the sprinklers on for half an hour, turning them off just before photos or home showings. This will make sure the lawn looks as healthy as possible.
- Trim the hedges, especially any that protrude into walkways.
- Put away or hide any items that are stored in front of the home (hose, shoes, toys, etc…).
- Clean windows.
Staging
Staging always involves cleaning & decorating, but there are a few extra steps too.
- Clean, mop, vacuum, and dust.
- Put away clutter.
- Put away any countertop appliances, refrigerator magnets, and visible food in the kitchen.
- Put away personal items in the bathroom (toothbrush, razors, bath poofs, grooming products, etc…).
- Clean mirrors & faucets in baths & kitchen.
- Hang nice, unused towels in bathrooms and kitchen.
- Clean up/organize utility room & garage.
- Put away all clothes neatly and make all closets, including linen & utility, as organized and spacious as possible. Pack excess items if necessary.
- Remove anything someone could trip over (rugs, wires, etc…).
- Make beds & vacuum furniture.
- Hide all evidence of pets, ashtrays.
Appeal to the senses
Since people will be entering your home, it is important that we appeal to all their senses, not just sight.
- Turn on all the lights in the house.
- Make sure all light bulbs work.
- For 24 hours prior to showings, don’t cook anything with a strong odor.
- Ask smokers to smoke outside.
- Set the A/C at 75-76°
Security
The final preparation we would like you to make is to securely store any items that are valuable, fragile, sentimental, or dangerous. This includes:
- Jewelry
- Cameras, Camcorders, Laptops
- Fragile Items: Vases, Crystal, Glassware, Collectibles, and Figurines
- Family Photos (especially those showing minor children)
- Artwork (if valuable or not protected by glass)
- Caged animals that are poisonous, may bite, or may cause people to run screaming from the home (not kidding, this happens). Weapons