How To Show Your Home For A Successful Sale

I have recently had to opportunity to spend a great deal of time with buyers showing homes. In the past two weeks I have seen over 100 homes ranging in price from $169,000 to over $450,000. I started to develop a mental list of things that sellers are doing to help their homes show better and hopefully sell faster. I will also include a few things that you should avoid.

 The phone rings and it is an agent who has motivated buyers in her car and wants to show your home in about 2 hours!

Here are 5 Tips for showing your home for a successful sale.

1. Clear the clutter! Keep everything as clutter free as possible. A neat and tidy home will sell faster than a cluttered home every time. The biggest offenders in the past few weeks were: magazines and newspapers on the floor, mantles and shelves loaded with collections of things, refrigerators that are plastered with magnets, walls that are loaded with family photos, dirty clothes on the floors of the kid's rooms, and the list goes on!
2. Wash the windows. Clean windows add to the appeal of the yard and outside surroundings. You only expect to find dirty windows in fixers at a discounted price.
3. Add a few potted flowers around the walk way up to the front door. It shows the buyers that you care about the details and have pride in owning your home.
4. Use an organic fertilizer to green up the lawn and keep it mowed. A nicely manicured yard is one of the fastest ways to sell a home and it is cheap!
5. Play classical music quietly throughout the home. Low level music will help people relax and mask any unwanted street sounds. YES, this really works. We wrote an offer on a home that used this trick earlier this week.

The phone rings and it is an agent who has motivated buyers in her car and wants to show your home in about 2 hours!

1. DO NOT start a load of dishes or laundry as you walk out the door! I have been in 3 homes in the past 2 weeks where there was either a dishwasher or clothes dryer clanging and banging away in the background. People congregate in the kitchen and it is very distracting if the dishwasher is sloshing away. Those types of sounds remind buyers of work!
2. DO NOT close the shades or cover up the windows. Natural daylight makes rooms feel bigger and more inviting. I have been in several homes lately where all of the shades and curtains have been drawn, creating a dark and dreary atmosphere. Two homes had blankets tacked / nailed up over windows and sliding glass doors.
3. DO NOT leave "Yappy the dog" in the house! I have been to 3 houses in the past 2 weeks with loud barking dogs that were either in the house or in the back yard. The short story is that we did not write offers on any of these houses. Why? Because my clients do not like dogs. We didn't spend much time in the homes. It is that simple. If you are serious about selling your home, then you need to realize that there are many people out there who do not like dogs.

 

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of Realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground.We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own Vancouver Washington dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service. Go to www.ernw.org for more information. See our video here.