Home Improvement Equals Sales

Homeowners are hungry for an advantage - something that can give their home an edge over the competition. According to Joshua “Dr.” Suess of Remax of Valencia, such advantages fall into one of two categories: price and condition. But for a great deal of homeowners, prices are already low enough… that leaves option two. 

“Compare it to buying a car,” says Suess. “If you’re looking at two cars and they both cost $20,000 and one has all the bell and whistles, which one would you buy?” 

Translation? Before you put your home on the market, make a few simple upgrades. Paint the walls. Plant some petunias. Clear some counter space. 

In real estate circles, such changes are called staging. In the same way you might consider detailing your car before you slap a for-sale sign on it, staging your home can generate the additional eye appeal that can lead to results. 

Suess says potential home sellers can attempt to stage their own homes or use a professional. Either way, he says, the investment is well worth it. The key is not to get too cute. Home shoppers are looking for potential, not perfection as you define it. Those merlot-colored walls? Cover them with something neutral. The family photos? Save them for your next house. 

“You need to cut clutter,” Suess says. “If a buyer is looking at 10 homes and doesn’t remember your floor plan because he remembers the family photos, that’s bad.” 

And eliminate any indigenous scents; just because you love the smell of fried garlic in your home, don’t expect potential buyers to agree. “Staging is all about presenting your home in the best light,” Suess says. “You’re not living in your home. You’re selling it.”