Staging your home to SELL!

There are only two things you need to do to get your home to sell...yes, just two. Are you listening?  Here is the big secret:  PRICE IT RIGHT AND MAKE IT THE PRETTIEST!  

Okay, well I never said the two things would be easy!  

In regards to pricing your home right, leave that up to a licensed REALTOR.  Be sure to call one that is an expert in your area, as each region can be significantly different from the next.  Your REALTOR should provide you with a free market analysis of your home along with comparative active, pending, and sold properties within the last 6 months in your area.  If you don’t know a local REALTOR, ask friends for referrals, or check out Patch’s list of local business owners!

In order to make your home the prettiest, there are some simple things you can do to get ahead of the game.  You may have to put in a little money, but don’t do anything extravagant.  Realize that a little money in could mean a lot of money out.  For example, if your carpet is old and ratty, consider having it professionally cleaned.  If it is beyond cleaning, consider replacing it with a moderately priced (and neutrally colored) carpet.

Other tips:

De-clutter!  Remove all of your family photos and personal items from sight.  Take anything of value out of the home.  Put all of your "counter stuff" (I.e. Toaster, blender from the kitchen counter or curling iron, makeup from the bathroom) away into an organized cabinet.  If you have small children and find that it is difficult to keep their toys picked up and organized, consider purchasing some large plastic bins, that way, if you have a showing at the last minute, you can put all the kids’ toys in the bins and stack them neatly in the garage or storage area.

Paint.  The goal of staging should be to allow potential buyers to see themselves in your home.  You want to make sure that they bright yellow color in the kitchen that you love, and that puts you in a cheery mood every morning, is painted a neutral color...because who knows if yellow gives the future buyer a migraine!  Paint is cheap, and whether your colors are already neutral or not, new paint can give it that "new home smell"!

Consider updating.  Out-of-date light fixtures, kitchen hardware, or counter tops especially can cut thousands off of the asking price.  Say your light fixtures are all outdated...a potential buyer may come in and think that they will need to replace all of the light fixtures in the home and that it will cost them $5,000 for the ones they want.  You could potentially go to Lowes or a lighting outlet and get some very reasonably priced, updated, and neutral light fixtures for $500. Put them in and the buyer may never notice them at all, but they will not be tempted to take that $5,000 off the asking price anymore!  Bathrooms and kitchens are generally the most important areas in your home where buyers are concerned...if you don't have a lot of resources, focus your efforts in these two places.  Remove wallpaper of any kind.  Wallpaper is generally a very personal choice, and chances are the buyers won't love what you’ve chosen as much as you do.  Paint the walls a nice, neutral color.  If you can, replace that one mismatched appliance or update the flooring.  Remember, it doesn't have to be top of the line...you will not be living with it much longer after all!

Make repairs.  Loose shingles, leaky faucets, and broken windows can lead a buyer to believe you haven’t taken proper care of the property and that a lot of repairs will be necessary.  This may discourage them from making an offer.  Fixing these repairs ahead of time are a great idea.  If you are not sure what the condition of your property is, consider getting a home inspection before your property is listed.  This will give you some areas to focus on repairing, as well as allowing you to provide the report to potential buyers, and possibly eliminate and home inspection contingencies that may have been included in an offer.

Lastly, if you think there aren't any improvements that can be made to your home, ask a friend, your REALTOR, and even a home stager.  We often get so used to the space that we live in, that we have trouble actually "seeing" it!

If done correctly, these changes can help your home to sell faster and at the highest possible price.