Attention to Detail

It was a Sunday, my clients and I were looking at three homes. All were similar age. All of them were two-story, single-family dwellings, and all of them were in the same price range.

The Somerset area is abundant in acreage lots, with competitively priced newer homes (built after 1992). I was excited to look at these homes with my clients because I knew they were getting anxious to be in a new house before the New Year.
The first home was a vacant, bank owned property that boasted a large, open, two-story entryway with a view straight through the living room windows into the field behind. The kitchen, off to the left, was equipped with new appliances, granite counter-tops, and plenty of cupboard space to run a four-plus person family. Upstairs were three bedrooms, conveniently located on one floor together.

The master had a large walk-in closet connected just on the other side of the master bathroom, which needless to say had everything my buyers needed. The basement was finished with an office and family room. This particular home had almost 4,000 square feet, a gorgeous brick and vinyl exterior, and a 3.5 acre lot fit for a king.

It was everything that my buyers could have asked for, except they weren't going for it. Residential real estate is an emotional ordeal and their emotions were telling them to run. It was because of one reason: the home didn't show well. It wasn't the home's fault! It wasn't a bad home! It was quite the opposite. The home did everything it could, but no one was there to clean the empty pop cans from the stairwell. No one was there to clean the carpets, or replace the broken lights. No one was there to clean the grout up from the shower, or to clean the windows and walls. The home was beautiful, and likely would have been sold had the Realtor representing the seller taken care of attention to detail.

This is another practice that I see way too often, and these homes in particular can stay on the market for months and years until someone with a "can do" attitude comes in and puts a lower offer than what the home could have potentially been worth!

In order to gain maximum showings, and even better feedback during the marketing of your home, follow these simple rules:
    
1. Eliminate all clutter- Sentimental objects do not matter during the marketing of your home, and can lead to a "bad feeling" by potential buyers as they come into your home. Dirty laundry, toys, dishes, and papers will uninvite these buyers quicker than it took them to walk in the doorway.
2. Clean everything- Taking 3-4 hours to scrub and wash every surface in your home will fix a headache before it can happen. Make sure bathrooms are immaculate, and odors are addressed ASAP. If someone can tell you own a cat just by the smell when they walk in, you will lose 90% of your buyers and quite a bit in the price war, too.
3. Staging- If you cannot afford to have a professional stager come in and write you recommendations, then pick up a book from your local library on "home staging".
4. Pictures- Take down family pictures! Nobody wants to see the family already living there, when they are trying to envision themselves in the same place! Also, remove all tasteless art and posters (sorry Justin Bieber fans).
5. Light- Replacing lightbulbs will help show your home better, but nothing is better than natural sunlight. Remove or open heavy window coverings and let mother nature do her job!

These are just a few recommendations that will increase your traffic, increase your positive responses, increase your sales price, and decrease your time on market.

Back to my story:
    
My buyers ended up falling in love with a home in a location not as prominent as the above said property.

The exterior appeal was comparable, but the inside was 1,000 square feet smaller, not as open, with an unfinished basement and outdated appliances. And to top it off, the price was nearly the same!

The difference in this property was in the 5 steps I stated above. The sellers took the time beforehand to make sure the home would show exceptionally well, and it paid off. My buyers felt as if they were walking in to their new home, not somebody else's.

As always, my blog is designed to educate the consumer on everything real estate related, but remember: The best thing you can do is call a professional!

Cheers!