Many people think the Parade of Homes is just if you are in the market to build a new home; or to see the pretty decorations. Both of these are great reasons to go but there is another couple reasons you may want to go if you plan on selling your home soon.
1.Pay Attention To What Is There
By this I mean take it ALL in.
- What are the paint colors?
- How many paint colors are used throughout the house?
- What do the light fixtures look like?
- Look at the floors, what is the stain color of the hardwoods? Does the carpet have a pattern?
- Check out the tile in the bathrooms, the back splash and the granite. Color, style, pattern.
- Look at the bedding as yes it does matter.
All these things are important because model homes are usually very current on what buyers are looking for. It doesn't matter if someone is buying new construction or an existing home, they want certain things to be current in the home they are buying.
That doesn't mean you have to change everything in your home. What it means is if you need to do updates in your home to get it in selling condition, do them in the style that the buyer is wanting. It is not based on what you like.
In many parts of the Twin Cities, when you go to sell, you are competing against new construction so it is even more important that the buyer doesn't see your home as a time warp.
2. Pay Attention To What Is NOT There
There is a reason people love model homes. They feel immediately like it is their home because of the things they do not see. Some of the things they do not see in a model home are:
- Toothbrushes
- Dish Drains
- Kleenex
- Dirty Laundry
- Trash Cans
- Collections (of teddy bears, tea cups, roosters)
It's what I call 'real world' things. All those things that we use daily that are out, but need to be tucked away when you go to sell. Many times we get so used to living with these things we don't give them a second thought.
When you go to sell.....you need to live with a 'pretend' house while it is for sale. Your goal is to have it looking perfect, have it sell quickly and then go back to life as normal. Yes it is inconvenient but it is something you need to do.
So go visit as many houses as you can during the Parade of Homes and soak in not only what is there, but what is not there. The Parade of Homes is taking place right now in Minneapolis until March 25, 2018.
For a personal list of what you should or should not have in your home while it is for sale, hire a Professional Home Stager.
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