Remember, Less is More.

You've been bandying about the idea of selling your home, and you've finally decided to do it.  Now what?  Let me suggest two things:

1) If you're committed to selling, then stop referring to it as your home, and start thinking of it as your investment.

2) In order to get the best yield on your investment, remember that "less is more." 

What makes a house a home?  It's the personal touches, the photos, the decor, the knick-knacks.  It's all those little mementos that have meaning to you and your family: photos that highlight the history of your family; knick-knacks from family vacations; silly little trinkets that bring a smile to your face. 

Think back to that day when you bought your house.  It was a structure, had great features, and lots of potential.  But it was not a home until you started to make it one with your photos and knick-knacks and such.  Finally, when it completely spoke of you and to you, it became a home.  Now you want to sell that home.  What do you do?  GET RID OF THE PHOTOS, AND THE KNICK-KNACKS AND YOUR MEMENTOS.  Your keepsakes are someone else's clutter. 

If you truly want to sell your home, and realize top dollar in a challenging market, then you need to pare your home down, and restore it to that time when it was just a house.  As the famed architect, Mies van der Rohe preached, Less is More.  Those items that have so much significance to you do not have meaning to buyers, and their presence is a distraction, not an asset.  De-clutter your home, mercilessly.  You're going to be moving anyway, so start packing.  Start with the collectibles, uniques, and antiques, photos and knick-knacks, and pack them away. 

Take an objective look at your home.  Do you have lots of furniture in each room?  It may make sense to remove a piece of furniture from a room, to make it look more spacious and functional.  If your living room is filled with an oversized couch, a loveseat, an oversized chair or two, and a table, I can virtually guarantee that it will look crowded and cramped.  Remove a piece or two of furniture, and that room will suddenly seem much bigger and more functional. 

But here's the thing: many people do not have the vision, or the discipline, to pare things down, to create more space, to make the home look better.  I know this from experience, both personal and professional.  Admittedly, I do not have the skills to visualize what something would like like when changes.  I can't imagine how a home would look if the furniture were re-arranged, the clutter removed, and a piece or two of furniture is placed in storage.  So, when I work with home owners to market their properties, I bring in a professional stager.  These gifted and artistic professionals have the ability to see things as they are, and envision how to make them better.  They bring creativity and objectivity to the situation, and help the homeowners make their house the best it can be.  My experience also tells me that this service, which I offer my clients, works and works well.  It can be the difference between selling or not selling, and it can be the difference between realizing your equity or selling at a loss. 

The cost of staging need not be expensive, but it is an expense.  It's a premium service I offer my clients, and it sets me apart from my competition.  The thing to realize is that the cost of staging is always less than the amount of a seller's first price reduction.  Invest a little to gain a lot.  It's good business.

If you are thinking of selling your home in the Traverse City, Michigan, area, please give me a call.  I don't want to list your home.  I want to SELL it!