GET THE HOME STAGED ADVANTAGE - Stage it to sell visit www.nlhouseandhomes.ca for before and after Staging Photos Anyone selling a home wants to sell it quickly, and at the highest price possible. To do that, your property needs to look its absolute best when it is listed. Stroll around your home inside and out with a clip board. Note all the items that you would notice if you were a buyer. During your stroll identify anything that’s broken, half-finished or simply doesn’t work. Repair or replace. Pay special attention to the outside of your home. Trim the trees, weed the garden and consider planting a few new flowers. Your home needs to make a great first impression with some serious “curb appeal”. You don’t need to spend a fortune to make a big difference. Your front door especially should be clean, door handles bright and windows sparkling. You might even consider adding a fresh coat of paint or a splash of color. Fix all the little things like leaky faucets, doors that squeak or that don’t close properly and small cracks in the ceiling. Some repairs are absolutely vital, like a leaky roof or basement. Nothing kills a sale faster than signs of water damage. If there’s an unsafe electrical problem you must fix this too. If you don’t repair these items, a home inspector is sure to point these out to the potential buyer and when he does, be prepared for the buyer’s sales representative to contact yours to either renegotiate the price of your home, request repairs or just to be told the buyers are not satisfied with their findings and walk away completely from the deal. One thing you want to accomplish and that is to make the buyer feel like they need look no further. This is the home for them and they can just move right in with little or no effort. Some buyers can’t see past the clutter. The clutter will make your house look much smaller than it really is. Kitchen and bathroom counters should be clutter free or you leave them with the impression the area is too small, not enough counter space. Clutter or untidy can also make your house feel uncared for and if that is the case, then their imagination goes to what else is wrong. There may be absolutely nothing wrong with your home, but the impression has been made. Depersonalize the space. Pack away most of your family photos. You want the buyers to focus on your home and not on “is that the guy you met at…. or is this the young fellow on Tommy’s team”. You want them to go home thinking of the features of your home and not about its occupants. Remove everything that’s too much about you, and make it everything about them, the buyers. Add a fresh look and feel to your home. Spruce it up with fresh paint, but remember strong colours can turn a buyer away and it can also make the rooms appear smaller. Then add some take away value with you – take away value is possibly some new curtains, shower curtain, real or silk plants, a scatter rug, throw cushions, new bedding or pictures (not family pictures). Mirrors can give the room a feeling of being larger or brighter. Closets and pantries, if they are crowded or cluttered, remove some of the unnecessary items, pack them away since your moving anyways. Crammed spaces give potential buyers the feeling that the house is bursting at the seams. Review each storage space, sheds or garages as well, of excess or seasonal items to make sure the viewers can see the space. Clean your home from top to bottom. Wipe clean your baseboards, door trim, windows and window sills. Clean your fridge and stove. Bathrooms especially should be appealing. Your kitchen and bathroom can tell a lot about a home owner. When your home furnishings are too big or there are too many for the space. Edit, edit, edit. The corners of the room need to be seen, so remove extra or oversized plants, fans, gym equipment, chairs and tables. |