Are You Selling Your Home? Or Using It To Sell The Competition?
So many sellers mistakenly
believe that buyers can see past their everyday clutter, personal decorating
choices and deferred maitenance issues but
it simply isn’t true. In fact, we often say that homes which
aren’t properly prepared & staged help sell the homes which are showcased to sell.
Here are some of the top things
that sellers need to fix before selling their homes:
1) Dark Rooms: dark rooms
make buyers huddle together, hold bags or purses tightly against their body and
look really, really uncomfortable. This generally results in quick showings
with buyers rushing off to see the next listing.
Solution: Taking down heavy draperies and ensuring that each room in a
home has adequate lightning is essential. And when I say lighting I am not just
referring to a basic ceiling fixture. Table lamps, stylish floor lamps, modern
pendants or chandeliers are all essential fixtures to set the mood for your
buyers and showcase a lifestyle instead of just a harshly illuminating a room.
2) Wallpaper & Borders: The
‘flower power wallpaper’ which matches the sofa, throw pillows and rug is often
a strong buyer objection. It doesn't matter that they aren't buying all
matching components – it’s not their style and not the lifestyle they want to
buy into. Wallpaper is also one of the top objections buyers have a home; its
time-consuming to take down and its often not to their taste. That means time
and money to properly redo the space and for most buyers they would just rather
move on.
Solution: This one is
simple. Take down the wallpaper before you list the home. Trust me, buyers will
be appreciative. Don’t forget to paint the space a modern, neutral color so
that your target buyers are impressed by the room!
3) Clutter & Collections: It’s amazing how much stuff we can accumulate when living in a
home but leaving it all out for buyers to see when they visit your property is
always an issue. Whether its piles of stuff on counter-tops & desks or
collections of things you are very proud of – all of these things make buyers
very uncomfortable. Choosing to have them remember your home as the place with
the crazy stuffed deer and moose head collection instead of the house with the
gorgeous kitchen and luxurious master bedroom will end up costing you thousands
of dollars in lost equity.
Solution: Start packing away your treasures now. Not only does this mean
you’ll have a head start on the packing process once your home sells but you’ll
also make sure that your buyers remember your home – not your all your stuff.
Remember, a home can have the best kitchen ever but if overwhelming clutter
makes it appear that the home lacks essential storage then those upgrades don’t
matter.
4) Unpleasant
Smells: If a home has icky odors, this
has a powerful negative effect on buyers. If you think about what you do when
you smell something unpleasant, I bet it isn't lingering in the place where the
smell is. Whether its heavy or ethnic cooking odors, pet smells or even heavy
artificial floral scents – all these things have a tendency to offend your
buyers right away. Guess where offended buyers go? You're right! Right into the
arms of your competition.
Solution: Be objective and proactive when it comes to preparing your home
for sale. If you have smoked for years in the home, that smoke smell is
ingrained in everything. Walls need to be washed, primed & painted and
carpets will need to be replaced. If its pet odors, figure out where they are
coming from and then deal with the issue. If its cooking smells, consider
alternative cooking styles while the house is on the market or eat out. You
want your buyers to be comfortable while they preview their home so deal with
the issues so your home is appealing to both the eyes and the nose.
Many sellers cannot objectively
look at their home to see if its suffering from some – or all – of these
issues. I will spot these issues and can refer a professional
home stager to help you develop a plan
to both prepare and showcase your property for sale. This way your home is
selling itself – not its competition!
