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GETTING THE
HOUSE READY TO SELL; "STAGING" YOUR HOME
So, you’ve made
the decision to sell your property sometime in the relatively
near future—what’s next? We suggest that you start thinking of
your house as a marketable commodity, and, although it may be
difficult to do, attempt to remove emotion from the selling
equation. Your goal is to get others to see it as their
potential home—to neutralize it, so to speak, for marketing
purposes.
REMOVING
CLUTTER, THOUGH YOU MAY NOT THINK OF IT AS CLUTTER
You would like
buyers to see your home and not it’s contents; to be able to
visualize their furniture and their belongings instead of yours.
Try not to get hung up on showing off Grandpa’s collection of
trains, the kids’ artwork or your favorite piece of furniture.
Box up everything you do not use regularly and donate it, sell
it, throw it, or store it. Removing clutter is the hardest thing
for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to
everything in the house. After years of living in the same home,
clutter collects in such a way that may not even be evident to
the homeowner. However, it does affect the way buyers see the
home, even if you do not realize it. Clutter collects on
shelves, counter tops, drawers, closets, attics, and basements.
Take a step back
and pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help point out areas
of clutter, as long as you can accept their views without
getting defensive. If you have already selected an agent, let
him/her help you too.
Clutter
in the kitchen—the
kitchen is a good place to start removing clutter,
because it is an easy place to start. First, get
everything off the counters except what you use daily.
Put everything else in a kitchen cabinet and take it out
when you use it. Of course, you may notice that you do
not have enough cabinet space to put everything. Clean
them out. Put things in boxes and store the boxes
elsewhere. You see, homebuyers will open all your
cabinets and drawers, especially in the kitchen. They
want to be sure there is enough room for their "stuff".
If your kitchen cabinets, pantries, and drawers look
jammed full, it sends a negative message to the buyer
and does not promote an image of plentiful storage
space. The best way to do that is to have as much empty
space as possible; create open space.
Clutter
in the Closets—Closets
are great for accumulating clutter, though you may not
think of it as clutter. We are talking about extra
clothes and shoes—things you rarely wear but cannot bear
to be without. Do without these items for a couple of
months by putting them in a box, because these items can
make your closets look "crammed full." Sometimes there
are shoeboxes full of "stuff" or other accumulated
personal items too.
Furniture Clutter—Many
people have too much furniture in certain rooms; not too
much for your own personal living needs, but too much to
give the illusion of space that a homebuyer would like
to see. Builders’ models are a prime example of the
setting you’re after to stage your own home—cozy,
comfortable and homey. What you will see is furniture
and lighting that are appropriately placed and
accessories which are neutral, not gaudy or intrusive.
Also concentrate on traffic flow, can you move easily
from one room to another without bumping into things?
Storage
Area Clutter—Basements,
garages, attics, and sheds accumulate not only clutter,
but junk. These areas should be as empty as possible so
that buyers can imagine what they would do with the
space. Remove anything that is not essential and take it
to a separate storage area. Or, have a garage sale---now
there’s an idea!
Once you
have cleared out the clutter, cleaned out every corner,
re-arranged the furniture and tastefully accessorized, leave
your house. Go grab a friend and bring them over. Walk in
together and pretend you are a potential buyer. Does your
home look and feel inviting? Are you distracted by the
stuff, or does this home appear clean and well cared for, a
home you could immediately settle into? Is this a home you
would want to buy?
FIXING UP THE
HOUSE INTERIOR FIRST
Many real estate
advice books tell you to work on the outside of the house first, but
unless there is a major project involved, consider starting on
the inside. There are two main reasons for this. First, the
first steps in preparing the interior of the house are easier.
They also help develop the proper mindset required for
selling—beginning to think of your "home" as a marketable
commodity. Second, most professionals will agree that the
exterior is the most important. Once you have developed the
proper mindset for selling by working indoors, the more
important exterior work should come easier.
Whether you
start fixing up the inside or the outside first, it might be
wise at this point in time to consider having a pre-inspection
by a licensed home inspector. A complete inspection of your
property will include areas such as plumbing, electrical,
heating systems, fireplaces, foundation, roof, exterior and
interior wall surfaces, windows and appliances. This eliminates
worries and offers you peace of mind about the condition of the
home. In addition, the inspection report generated for you by
the inspector will itemize in great detail just what items need
to be addressed in this pre-list "fixing up" stage.
Plumbing and Fixtures—all
of you sink fixtures should look shiny and new.
Make sure all the hot and cold faucet knobs are
easy to turn and that the faucets do not leak.
Check to make sure you have good water pressure
and no stains on any of the porcelain. All
sinks, tubs etc. need to drain quickly and
toilets need to flush efficiently. Potential
homebuyers will check these things out,
if they are serious about your home!
Ceilings, Walls and Painting—check
all ceilings for water stains. Sometimes old
leaks leave stains, even after you have repaired
the leak. Of course, if you do have a leak, you
will have to get it repaired whether it is a
plumbing problem or the roof leaks. You should
do the same for walls, looking not only for
stains, but also areas where dirt has
accumulated (behind furniture) and you just may
not have noticed. Painting can be your best
investment when selling your home. It is not a
very expensive operation and often you can do it
yourself. Choose an neutral color that will
appeal to the widest possible number of buyers
and also help your rooms to appear bright and
spacious.
Carpet and Flooring—unless
your carpet appears old and worn, or it is
definitely an outdated style or color you
probably should do nothing more than hire a good
carpet cleaner. If you do choose to replace it,
do so with something inexpensive in a fairly
neutral color. Repair or replace broken floor
tiles. Your goal is simply to leave
as few negative impressions as possible upon
those who may want to purchase your property.
Windows and Doors—check
all of your windows to make sure they open and
close easily. If not, a spray of WD40 often
helps. Replace any cracked or broken windowpanes
before you begin showing your home. Do the same
things with the doors; make sure they open and
close properly, without creaking. A shot of WD40
will also make hinge creaks go away.
Odor Control—for
those who smoke, you might want to minimize
smoking indoors while trying to sell your home.
You could also purchase an ozone spray that
helps to remove odors without creating the
tell-tale perfumed masking odor, which indicates
that you’re trying to cover up something
objectionable. Pets of all kinds create odors
that you may have become used to, but are
immediately detectable to those coming into your
home from the outside. Be sure to clean kitty
litter boxes daily or oftener, even if they are
in the basement. For those with dogs, keep them
outdoors as much as possible. You might also try
sprinkling carpet freshener on the carpets on a
periodic basis. If there are serious pet odor
problems, consider hiring a cleaning service to
eliminate them with special products and types
of service specifically made for that purpose.
FIXING UP THE HOUSE EXTERIOR
Take
a walk across the street and have a good look at
your house. Look at nearby houses too, and see how
yours compares. Curb appeal is essential since a
buyer’s first impression is formed by viewing the
outside of your property. A mowed lawn or shoveled
walks, trimmed hedge and weeded gardens, all help to
create a great first impression!
Landscaping—Is
your landscaping at least average for
the neighborhood? If not, buy a few
bushes and plant them. Don’t bother with
trees; mature trees are expensive, and
you’ll not get back your investment. If
you have an area for flowers, buy mature
colorful flowers and plant them. They
add a splash of vibrancy and color,
creating a very favorable first
impression. Bulbs or seeds will not
mature fast enough to create the desired
effect and you certainly don’t want a
patch of brown earth for homebuyers to
view. Lawns should be evenly cut,
freshly edged, well watered, and free of
brown spots. If there are problems with
your lawn, take care of them before
starting on the inside of your home,
since lawn treatments frequently take
time to become readily apparent. Back
yards need to be tidy also. For those
with dogs, be sure to constantly keep
the area clear of "debris".
The Front
Door and Entryway—the
front door should be especially sharp,
since it is the entry through which your
potential buyers will probably come.
Door windows should shine and the doors
themselves be refinished or newly
painted if necessary. Get a new plush
doormat. Make sure the lock works easily
and the key fits properly. When a buyer
comes to visit your home, the agent uses
the key from the lock box to unlock the
door. If there is trouble working the
lock while everyone else stands around
twiddling their thumbs, it sends a
negative first impression.
House
Exterior—the
big decision is whether to paint or not
to paint. When you look at your house
from across the street, does it look
tired and faded? If so, a paint job may
be in order. It is often a very good
investment and really spruces up the
appearance of a house, adding dollars to
offers from potential homebuyers. When
choosing a color, it should not be
something garish and unusual, but a
color that fits well in your
neighborhood.
Roof—As
for the roof, if you know your house has
an old leaky roof, replace it. If you do
not replace a leaky roof, you are going
to have to disclose it and the buyer
will want a new roof, anyway.
COSTS OF REPAIRS
It’s probably
wise not to do anything too expensive, such as remodeling. The
best idea is to first focus on the items that give you the best
return for you money. If
possible use savings to pay for any repairs and improvements;
remember that part of selling a house may be preparing to buy
your next home and charging up credit cards or obtaining new
loans may affect your credit scores or hurt your ability to
qualify for your next mortgage.
IT’S A TEAM
EFFORT!
Enlist the help
of all household members to get the house ready—and keep it
ready—for prospective buyers. A few minutes spent tidying up
each morning can make the difference for a showing in the
afternoon.
Next:
SELECTING AN AGENT |
