May 14th, 2009 categories: Betsy Mayer, Charlotte Home Stories, Michael Gibbons, Rhonda Gibbons, Selling Your Home
OK, Teddy was not a Realtor but he did profess a legacy of self reliance and fortitude that comes in pretty handy in today’s real estate market. And one of his best quotes serves as timely advice for today’s home seller….
Do
What You Can,
Where You Are (with)
What You Have.
OK you’re thinking Mike’s finally jumped the shark (do click)…how is a Teddy Roosevelt quote going to help me sell my home? In this market (really any market) the key to selling a home is differentiation. How do I make my home stand out? How do I get more showings? How do I connect with home buyers? How does this home become the home!
At TalkCharlotte we are putting a new spin on helping you selling your home ~ actually we’re taking a step back, going back to the basics. We’re helping people share their HomeStory! Did you know, most people decide if they will buy a home BEFORE they step through the front door. Curb Appeal is (still) King! I should clarify that is not to say people buy a home without considering the inside, they absolutely do but most often the inside is but a validation (enjoy!) of the opinion they developed as they walked up to the front door. It’s why so often the decision to buy seems to be confirmed right there in the foyer! Love often works that way too ~ right Rhonda….honey?
So let’s backtrack ~ what is a home seller to do? Ya’ know you never get a second chance to make a first impression ~ so you gotta make the front of your home dazzle! We suggest a WYCWYAWYH Makeover. Since acronyms are all the rage so we came up with our own WYCWYAWYH it means ~ Do what you can, where you are (with) what you have ~ for your home.
By all means do the big things, get your home pre-inspected, paint the inside and out, replace the roof but also do the little things. Little things like the following:
- Spread fresh, quality pine straw (no pine bark nuggets)
- Spray paint hand rails, wrought iron
- Cut/remove and /or trim selected trees and shrubs
- Plant flowers or add clay pots with flowers
- Powerwash walls, sidewalks and driveways
- Replace/ add front door hardware, address numbers
- Paint front door and shutters
These are little things that you can do, right where you are, with what you (mostly) already have or can buy for under a couple hundred dollars….or less! Little things that will make a huge difference. Sandy Phillips our colleague and friend does a really nice job with her First Impression Staging if you need a little coaching/prodding (704-277-5141)
Check out the WYCWYAWYH Makeover we did recently for one of our Myers Park listings Secret to Selling Your Home? Get a geranium and then just yesterday talk about small I spent two hours and $40 bucks* on this 1760 Forest Side Lane makeover on behalf of Rhonda’s “out of town” seller (*we lent the decorative garden fencing). I think you’ll agree the result is an inviting, warm look that stands out (from the three other similar townhomes for sale) and will have buyers ready to buy before they open the front door!
Before…
After…
Do what you can, where you are, with what you have ~ good advice for selling your home and living your life!
Thanks Teddy!
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