Selling your home doesn’t just mean getting a realtor’s sign in the front lawn. Preparing a home for sale is as much about its initial presentation to buyers (to maximize the offer or offers you receive), as it is about preparing for the buyers’ inspection (to ensure that the sale price at closing is as close to the offer you accepted initially). And, you might be surprised which things will have the biggest impact on your buyers!
Repair. As homeowners, there are lots of things, big and little, that we get used to and stop noticing. But the buyers will notice everything! The question they are trying to answer, as they walk through your house, is, “has this home been well maintained and cared for – or it a money pit, waiting to swallow us?” And the answer to that question is somewhere between impression and reality. Either way, tweaking, tightening and updating is not just about pretty – it’s about the inspection report your buyers will ultimately receive. So, yes, I might recommend a fresh coat of paint, or new hardware on the cabinets but, we’ll also look at your home’s systems and which repairs or upgrades are worth doing – and which are not!
Fresh and Neutral. Buyers are always curious about who lives in the house now but, much more importantly, they need to be able to imagine themselves living in it in the (very near) future. And, while it’s important not to erase a home’s character and personality, it is also important to give it as broad an appeal as possible. So, while you do not need to put away every family photo and take down all the family artwork, you may want to put some of it away. And, though that lime green accent wall may have been a great choice for your daily life, we may need to consider making it more of a warm gray or creamy white.
Stage. Professional staging is a critical step in preparing your home. While home designers are great at making your home look and function at it’s best for you, a home stager’s job is quite different. The stager looks at each room with a several goals. First, to highlight the features we most want your buyers to notice and remember. Second, to allow buyers to move comfortably and easily through the space. And, third, to ensure that each room photographs to its maximum potential. Working together as a team, we’ll bring out the the most sparkle in your home and make sure the buyers see everything it has to offer!
