FIRST IMPRESSIONS...
Sellers, make the first impression a great one. There are many, many things that people think they need to do in order to sell their homes. I sometimes get to the listing appointment and have the sellers give me a huge laundry list of things they have done or plan to do to their home. "We just put in new windows, a new roof, a patio and the new orange counter top". I am amazed at people who do all the things they wanted to do while living there but didn't do them until it was time to sell.
It's great to make improvements to your home and ready it for the market. It is important to make your home attractive to potential buyers, but there is a thing called overkill.
New home builders often hire very talented interior design companies to stage their models. I was well aware of this when I worked for new home builders. The "model effect" is what sellers should be striving for. You say, "how in the world can we do that, we live in our home, our dogs and cats and 4 year old live with us." You can't ship the cats and dogs out and put them in storage, you can't take little Laura and put her in storage, I understand that. But you can do some of the following things to help yourself out.
First, take an objective look at the exterior of your home. Ask a friend or neighbor to take a look with you. Are their weeds in the garden, does it need mulch, does the yard need raking? Are there flowers growing out of the gutters that you always admired but the potential buyer may not. I have sent crews to some of my customers homes and just had them clean up the whole yard. You may not have the time to do this so get an agent to handle it or hire it out. The first thing potential buyers see is the front of your home. Make it cozy, put a wreath on the door with a bow, put some candles in the window (don't leave them lit), pick up ANY and ALL debris, dog stuff etc. that is in the yard.
We live in our homes, some of us much more than others. Many sellers loose touch with reality. The hole in the wall near the bathroom door has been there so long it looks like home to them. The crayon drawing on little Laura's wall was done when she was in kindergarden so to you it's cute. This list goes on and on. I have seen it all. You must get rid of the clutter. That means all the magazines, books, clothes, 40 weeks of junk mail, nic nacks etc. Either throw out or pack it up. Get the 150 notes and pictures off the front of the refrigerator and keep the kitchen counter very clean. Put some candles, or fruit in a bowl or something attractive on the counter.
You might consider leaving the table set when you are not home. If you need paint touch up get it done. If its dark green or red or something equally lovely, consider painting a fresh coat of a neutral color. Make the beds and hang up ALL clothes, please don't leave stuff on the floor or chairs. Use something to freshen the air especially if you have pets. I have sent professional cleaning crews in to assist with this, maybe you could consider that. Get an objective opinion on the amount of clutter and the cleanliness of your home.
Replace the filters in the heat pump or furnace. That's one of the first things home inspectors look at. It scares people that notice those things. When they are full of hair and dirt it makes the buyer feel like the home they may by buying is dirty and can really turn them off.
Sellers, use your agent for this process. They should be very candid with you about the condition of your home and what you need to do to make it more attractive. Before you spend money to make major improvements discuss it with your agent, why spend $10,000.00 to get $5,000.00 more for your house. You may be able to spend $500.00 for professional cleaning and save the $9,500.00.
I recently sold two homes in Chesapeake Beach Maryland less that 15 days each because the sellers followed these suggestions.
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