You want to sell your home for the most amount of money in the least amount of time. You’ve doubtless heard that curb appeal is one of the most important factors in marketing your home–it’s the buyer’s very first impression of your home–so it needs to look trimmed, raked, and uncluttered. Ok, so they like the outside–but what about the inside? We have a couple suggestions which will help prepare the inside of your home for a showing.
When buyers walk through a house they are considering, they are picturing themselves inside the home. What would it be like if I had holiday gatherings here? What would it be like if my friends and relatives came to visit? How will my great grandmother’s China hutch fit? They are imagining a story of their future lives with your home as the setting. To encourage a positive connection to your home, it’s important that you make it easier for the buyers to imagine themselves living in your home. Here’s a few tips to help you get started:
- Remove the clutter from all the surfaces in your home. This includes kitchen counters, coffee tables, beds, etc. Store your clutter temporarily in a storage unit or the attic–where buyers are unlikely to come across it. Decluttering will help a room feel more open and the buyer will feel more room to place their belongings within your house.
- Redecorate your home in neutral colors with only a few pops of bright colors (like flowers or houseplants). This gives the buyers’ creativity freedom to roam and they won’t be distracted or overwhelmed by a unique color palette or pattern they aren’t used to.
- Help the buyers create their own story by creating an inviting atmosphere: the fresh smell of baking cookies, a roaring fire in the fireplace, a board game on the table ready for entertaining night at home…you get the idea.
- Take your pets for a walk during the showing. This will take the pressure off or relieve any anxiety the buyers may have around pets, thus increasing your chance that they will fall in love with your home–just the way you did when you chose to buy your house!
And, if you need additional help staging your home to look its best, we have over 20 agents who would love to help you and give you advice on making your home perfectly presentable. Give us a call at (509) 783-1431!