Selling Your House: You Are Involved
Selling your house is not just your agent's responsibility. You are involved until the Closing Documents are signed.
When I help Sellers, I ask them to organize and clean the rooms of their house as if they are preparing for a visit by a disapproving mother-in-law, or demanding drill sergeant. You know, the kind of mother-in-law that never likes anything you do, is never satisfied with your cooking, clothing or how you are raising her precious grand kids.
Your mother-in-law is probably not like that, but you have friends where this is the case. You can relate, I'm sure.
Luckily I've never had one like this video, and you can see some real jewels on YouTube.
Here are some of the keys to getting your house ready to sell:
- Most American homes have stuff that is not used on a regular basis. It's OK to live with too much stuff, but to show your house in its best light, reduce the stuff in each room. Furniture, collections of collectibles, books, magazines, toys, shoes, and clothing.
- Kitchens-Dishes, utensils, equipment on counters-cut it back, way back. I think one item on the counter is OK.
- Bathrooms-Don't let them get messy and then when a showing is scheduled, you will not feel so overwhelmed with the clean up job.
- Put the excess materials in the garage if you do not want to donate, sell, or give to a charity. The stuff in the garage restricts the garage viewing but most Buyers can appreciate the fact that the garage is storing things for you pending move.
If the property is vacant, this becomes a different issue. We just need to make sure the place is cleaned and dusted from time-to-time.
As a listing agent, I do get push-back from some Sellers that these are unnecessary activities. Some Sellers prefer to live like they live, and not do much differently. But Sellers have to remember, not every potential Buyer will live like you live.
Thinking of my own shopping experience, when I visit a retail store and the items for sale are neatly displayed, things hung or folded as appropriate, this makes for an easier examination and much simpler buy or no-buy decision. When compared to a late afternoon or say day after Christmas shopping experience-things carelessly strewn about, clutter, clutter, and more clutter. Home Buyers seem to have similar reactions to too much stuff, dirty or unclean areas, and clutter.
I think the less is more approach is best for getting a house sold. Although a man's (or woman's) house is their castle, what we have in the castle varies from person to person. Here are a few things I suggest to box and store before showing:
- Family photos (get the buyer seeing their things and family in the space). You have a lovely family, but it is your family. Store those pictures for your new home.
- Political Signs or Materials (this is a free country, but you have about a 50% chance of upsetting a potential Buyer. If showing your political persuasion is more important than selling the house, proudly display your political materials. Otherwise, save it for your new home.) I want to get your house sold, not debate someone with a different point of view than yours.
- Stuffed animals and mounted heads (hunting and fishing are worthy activities but not everyone likes the resulting trophies displayed in the house.) You are trying to sell the house so take your trophies to storage and display them in your new home.
Somebody will buy your home if its presented in the right way, and we have it priced right. As the Seller, you are involved until the end.
Looking for a good REALTOR® in the San Antonio area? Let me Google that for you?
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Wayne Johnson
18756 Stone Oak Parkway
San Antonio Texas 78258
Coldwell Banker D'Ann Harper Realtors®
Texas Real Estate License # 0566780
wjohnson@cbharper.com
210.483.6329 (Tel)
210.483.4729 (Fax)
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