How to Look at Your Home Through Buyers' Eyes
Thinking of Selling your Home? Don't like the Price the Agent suggested? Time to do a personal evaluation.
The house has to look appealing and uncluttered to catch the eye of a potential buyer. After living in a house for a while so much can have accumulated slowly that it almost appears to disappear.
Step back and take photos of each room from different angles, and look at the evidence with an objective eye. Picture it as a buyer might and take out the clutter. This post offers some suggestions.
It's quite common for home sellers to find it difficult to look at their home - REALLY look at their home - the way a buyer would. We call this looking at your home through "Buyers' Eyes" and it's an important part of preparing your house for sale. Why? Because you can't possibly
address your home's flaws if you've grown so accustomed to them that you don't even see them anymore.
Here's a little trick that might help...
Take a few pictures of each room of your house. Be sure to take a few shots from different angles. Sometimes photographs give you a clearer perspective because the camera tends to pick up things we might not otherwise notice. Take a few pictures in black and white if you can, as this might give you a somewhat different perspective as well. Don't forget the closets, garage and basement - these are selling features of your home too.
Now really study these photos. Does your house look as good as it possibly could? (Keep in mind that some of the very best improvements you can make to your home cost little to nothing). If you were a buyer looking at these photos, would you be impressed? Are these pictures you want posted on the MLS and on other real estate websites, knowing at least 80% of buyers start their home search on-line?
The more honest you can be with yourself about the condition of your home, the more successful you will be in selling it. YOU might be able to overlook your home's flaws but your buyers won't.
If you're finding the process of looking at your own home through "Buyers' Eyes" difficult you're not alone. Lots of sellers have a hard time with this. And that's exactly why home staging was invented! Your local home stager can help you identify and prioritize the things that need to be done to present your home in the best possible light. And don't worry we're not like those mean ladies on HGTV (at lease most of us aren't). No doubt those programs provide good entertainment but that's NOT really what home staging is all about!
Karen Bernetti is a Real Estate Stager, Author, Speaker, and the Co-Creator of Ready2Sellin30Days® an innovative, interactive, multi-media educational system designed to teach do-it-yourself homeowners EVERYTHING they need to know about preparing a home for sale during tough economic times! Visit www.Ready2Sellin30Days.com to learn more.
Stay up to date on all the latest real estate staging and home decor trends with The Home Sale Success with Karen & Ann Blog! Sign up here to receive The Home Sale Success with Karen & Ann Newsletter!
Karen Bernetti is also the "Resident Stager" and Realtor® at North Star Real Estate, in Southington Connecticut, where every listing comes with a complimentary Home Staging consultation. Call 860-302-0333 for more information.
Comments(0)