Special offer

Staging for $$$$$

By
Real Estate Agent with Exit IH-10 Realty

The old saying "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" is critical to getting your house ready to sell in today's real estate market. If you want to get "top of the market"price for your house then you have got to take some time to dress it up for sale.

The extra money that you spend to make your home stand out from the crowd will pay dividends on closing day.

The littile things like keeping the lawn mowed and landscaping trimmed will go a long way to increasing the "curb appeal" of your property.

A fresh coat of paint on trim and repairing and re-staining decks and fences makes a big difference in the way your potential buyer views the house on their first visit.

 Inside the house you should repaint all the walls in a neutral color. Though your wife may have enjoyed the rose colored bedroom, your potential buyer might not see it that way.

Make sure everything is very clean, especially the kitchen and bathrooms. Hire a professional cleaning service if you have to, it will make a big difference in the way the house is percieved by the people considering buying it.

 You can make the rooms look bigger if you get rid of the clutter. You've got to make it easy for the potential buyer to imagine themselves living in the house.

Sometimes the smallest things will make a big difference in the appeal of the house. Bake some cookies on the day of the open house so the kitchen smells like home.

Do everything you can to make the house warm and inviting and you will go a long way towards accomplishing your goal of a quick and profitable sale.

Posted by

Dsc_2770_300dpi

David Mieth

Exit IH-10 Realty

1~Judi Barrett
Integrity Real Estate Services 116 SE AVE N, Idabel, OK 74745 - Idabel, OK
BS Ed, Integrity Real Estate Services -IDABEL OK

David, this is so true.  Sellers need to think about this and act.

Nov 15, 2009 11:51 AM
David Mieth
Exit IH-10 Realty - San Antonio, TX

Thanks Judi,

It is really just common sense, but many sellers tend to neglect the details. Thanks for your comment.

Nov 15, 2009 11:46 PM
Melissa Brown
Helen Adams Realty - Charlotte, NC
Realtor - South Charlotte NC Homes for Sale

David, this is a great post.  I am constantly amazed by some of the resistance I get from sellers to my staging and de-cluttering advice.  My sellers who "get it," and de-clutter, paint and spruce up are the ones who sell their homes, while the cluttered homes seem to just sit.  I tell them that they're moving anyway, they might as well start packing up some things!

Dec 07, 2009 09:45 PM
David Mieth
Exit IH-10 Realty - San Antonio, TX

Thanks for your comment Melissa. You would think that it would be common sense to clean and de-clutter a property before trying to sell it but some buyers just don't get it.

Dec 08, 2009 10:41 AM
Lynda Eisenmann
Preferred Home Brokers - Brea, CA
Broker Associate ,CRS,GRI,SRES, Brea,CA, Orange Co

Hi David,

Good stuff, you're so right about "Sometimes the smallest things will make a big difference..."  Very well said.

 

Feb 16, 2010 04:09 PM
Mary Hillerman
Crye-Leike Realtors® - Bentonville, AR

Good evening David, I hope things are going well for you!  Have a great fall season!

Oct 19, 2011 01:30 PM