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| Don't Scare Potential Buyers (Photo: Source) |
Yes, Halloween is just around the corner and we’re all
feeling the spirit of the season, but you may not realize if selling your home - that your decorating and living choices are the ones that are scary! You may think your stuff
is wonderful. You may think, “come on, this is how real people live”. You may
think, “I’m not changing that to sell my home”. The reality is, you may be
scaring your potential buyers away with the condition of your home.
When prepping your home for sale, the goal is to make the home
appealing to everyone. You want buyers to picture themselves living in, and seeing
the potential of your home - not leaving and labeling your home the clown
picture collection home.
From too personalized collections, too much stuff, to just plain everyday life – When it comes to selling a home, you have to remove these things when selling a home. That means you need to remove distractions, pack up the too personal stuff, keep it clean and tidy and consider - what may be normal to you, may scare a potential buyer.
From too personalized collections, too much stuff, to just plain everyday life – When it comes to selling a home, you have to remove these things when selling a home. That means you need to remove distractions, pack up the too personal stuff, keep it clean and tidy and consider - what may be normal to you, may scare a potential buyer.
Lawn Ornaments/ Overdone Seasonal Décor: Angels sculptures, crouching bunnies,
blow-up Spiders, Hay bale and scarecrow greeters at the door and sneaking
gnomes. Instead, showcase your lovely manicured,
mulched and cut lawn. Exterior 1st impressions are a clue of a well
maintained and beautiful home.
A Cluttered Foyer: Your foyer is like a handshake – the
introduction to your home. Welcome your potential buyers with hospitality and
panache. A foyer should be spotless, shoeless
and has a guest closet that Marie Kondo would swoon over, not the people
from TV’s ‘Hoarders’ show. If you have a
foyer table, add a vase of fresh flowers and your
Real Estate agent’s listing materials.
Collections: Although you may have a passion for clown
paintings, taxidermy or Precious Moments figurines - people buying a home may
not - and if they do, may get distracted by seeing them. Collections, especially personalized ones,
should be packed up. Instead, focus on a
room’s arrangement; showcase your rooms’ detail, layout and how the potential
buyer can use the space.
Acres of Family Photos: Too many photos overwhelm, especially
the huge family portrait over your fireplace mantle. The psychology of
marketing a home for sale - is allowing the buyer seeing themselves in your home, not you and you and you in the home. A few small frames in a
bookcase or on a bedroom dresser are fine, just not on every wall and surface.
Animal Items: Cat towers in the living room, fish
tanks in foyers, cages, beds and exposed litter boxes. Most people are animal lovers, but not when
buying a home. While the home is on the market these items need to be removed
or tucked into a remote area. People
respond to the 5 senses when viewing a home - even seeing a cat box that is
clean, will make a person scrunch up their nose.
Bathroom Rugs: Tank covers, toilet seat covers
and small bath area rugs. No need to blanket a bath in fluff. Showcase your bath’s shiny bright condition
by exposing all its shiny clean surfaces and well maintained tile.
Too Many Personal Items: We all know what happens when we shop at
Costco or Sam’s Club. From bursting linen,
bedroom, pantry closets to inside a shower, on top of a counter or dresser and
under the sink – too many personal products take up space, make a space look
cluttered and tells a story of you and your family. Instead, organize products in opaque plastic
bins or handled baskets that can be tucked away for showings.
Messiness: You
wouldn’t sell your car unwashed and with chicken nuggets in it? So the same
goes for your home. Give your home
bath. Wash the windows, cleaned carpets,
paint if the walls need it and live like
Model Home family with it ready-to-show at all times. Try purchasing some large flip top containers
you can have stationed in each room. Use them to tidy up every morning or
before showings.
Darkness: Drawn
drapes, burnt bulbs, missing lamps, turned off lighting. If they can’t see it, why would they buy
it? Light up your home like a
beacon. Get those exterior lights on a
timer, open your sheers and blinds, replace and check every bulb in your home
and if a room can’t be shown in the evening because there isn’t a lamp in the
space – Go buy some.
