Preparing and Staging Your House For Sale
Every seller wants his/her house to sell quickly and at the highest price. The way to achieve this is careful planning and knowing how to professionally spruce up your house. Buyers are attracted to houses that appear spacious, clean and solid. The steps involved in creating a marketable property are listed below.
Change your Attitude towards your House.
Treat your house as a product that can make money for you, not as a home.
Focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.
Don't look backwards, look towards the future. You have decided to sell, so try to take as unemotional view of your house as possible. The reason you want to make your house appear as an anonymous showhouse is because you want buyers to view it as their potential home. When a potential housebuyer sees your family possessions, it puts your own brand on the home and momentarily shatters their illusions about living in the house themselves. Your aim is make your house as impersonal as a newly built showhouse. Potential buyers can imagine themselves living in it, without being reminded of anyone else's involvement in the house.
Remove as many Personal Possessions as Possible from View.
Pack up those personal items and family photographs. Buyers can't see beyond someone else's personal belongings, and you don't want them to be distracted. Make it as easy as possible for buyers to imagine themselves living in the house. You want potential buyers to be able to say to themselves: 'I can see myself living here.'
Get Rid of Clutter and Junk.
Use the Rule: If you haven't used it in over a year, you probably don't need it anymore.
Donate it or dispose of it.
Remove all of your books from bookcases.
Pack up each and every all personal items.
Clean off everything on kitchen counters and worksurfaces.
Put essential items used daily in a box that can be stored in a cupboard.
Rearrange Bedroom Cupboards, Utility Room Presses and Kitchen Cabinets.
Buyers will often, out of simple curiosity, open presses and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out? If potential buyers see everything organized and neat, it tells them you have taken good care of the rest of the house as well. This means:
Potential buyers will open cabinets, presses and drawers, especially in the kitchen. They want to be sure there is enough room for their own kitchen appliances, pots and pans and dishes. If your kitchen cabinets, pantries, and drawers look jammed full, it sends a negative message to the buyer and convey a message of plentiful storage space. The best way to do that is to have as much empty space as possible.
Ensure the area beneath the sink is as empty as possible, removing all extra cleaning supplies. You should scrub the area down as well, and check if there are any tell-tale signs of water leaks that may cause a house buyer to think again before making an offer.
Rent a Storage Unit.
Most houses display better with less furniture. Remove any furniture that blocks paths and walkways and put it in storage. If you have removed all your books from your bookshelves, think about removing the bookshelves themselves to gain more space. 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. Its very important to make sure that potential buyers don't have to ask themselves: 'What is this room used for?'
Remove/Replace Favorite Items.
If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you when you sell your house, its vital that you remove them now. Potential buyers should never be left with the impression that some item is included in the sale of your house, when it is not. Pack away those items and replace them, if necessary.
Make Minor Repairs.
(What you don't want is for your house to be remembered as 'the one with the purple and orange bathroom.')
Write a House Checklist which should include:
Carefully Examine your House.
Imagine you are the potential buyer or, better still, get someone you know to tell you their first impressions. Listen to them tell you what they like and don't like about the house. Go around the entire house with your friend and ask them to assess each room of the house truthfully.
Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense.
Does it look like nobody lives in the house? If it does, you have done a good job.
What does your House look like from the Street?
You need to make the exterior of your house, and the gardens and lawns, as attractive as possible. This is not always an expensive job, but it is time consuming. You need to get the potential buyer as interested as possible in seeing what the rest of your house is like. Lawns, plants and bushes should all be in the best condition. Fences should be well maintained and repainted if necessary. Think about having paths and concrete areas cleaned using a powerjet. Store lawn equipment, toys and other outdoor items away neatly. Board dog or other large pets with neighbours while showing the house.
Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number. If you have a family name plaque on the door, remove it.
Showing the House
Your house should always be available for show, even though it may occasionally be inconvenient for you. If you can't be there to meet prospective buyers, try to leave a key with your neighbours, so that your house is available when it suits the buyers. Try to stay away from the house when potential buyers are viewing it. Buyers would much prefer to take their time over the house, rather than have an anxious owner follow them from room to room.
Lighting
Switch on all the indoor and outdoor lights, when you know that your house is about to be viewed, even during daytime. For evening and nighttime callers, a well lit house looks far more inviting when you they see it from the street.
Fragrances and Perfumes
Don't overdo the use of scented sprays in your house. It is too obvious and many people find the smells of those sprays offensive, not to mention that some may be allergic. If you want to have a pleasant aroma in your house, have a potpourri pot or something natural. The classic selling tip having of a warm 'homey' smell of coffee or baking bread may also be worth trying.
Pets
If you have pets, try to keep them away from the house when it is being viewed. If you must keep them in the house, at least tell your visitors about them before they find out for themselves.
Kitchen and Household Rubbish
Try to get rid of it before buyers call, even if it involves regular trips to the local dump or recyling facility. A smelly, overflowing bag of rubbish can undo all the good work you have put into getting your house ready.
Staging Your House.
Home staging adds the small details and perfects the art of creating moods. Staging makes your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, and warmer but, best of all, it makes home buyers want to buy it.
Some useful Staging Tips
Items that are essential to staging include:
Use the same ideas that you find in showhouses:
Try bringing the outdoors inside through the use of greenery and plants; by creating clean, crisp spaces and arranging furniture with plenty of room to walk around. Bathrooms in particular, respond well to staging.They should look open, airy and delightful. One trick is to add baskets filled with spa treatments such as:
The back garden also needs staging. For patios and deck areas, bring in plants and potted flowers, and add additional colour by setting the picnic table with bright, plastic dinner plates.
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