When you’re looking to sell your home for its value, you want your potential home-buyers to not only be impressed, but also enjoy the experience. Over the years that we’ve been staging, we always have a hunch of which houses will sell for top dollar, and which won’t. We want to help you prep your home to sell for top dollar.
Here are some of my tips I suggest to home-sellers before their showings.
1. Do:
Invest in touching up of all the small dings, nicks, and whatever needs to be redone on your walls. Repaint, refinish, and fix those dings on your baseboards! Trust us, it goes a long way.
Don’t:
Leave your home only half touched-up. It doesn’t look good to the home buyer, and their first thought is “I need to invest more money to touch this up myself”.
2. Do:
Ensure your home is clean and tidy. Tuck away those small appliances to give your kitchen a cleaner and larger look. Try to find a home for stray items, and make sure your mirrors, windows, and floors are shining! Remember, when your prospect is in your home, they’re picturing how they will live inside of it.
Don’t:
Leave your home as is. Not to say it isn’t perfect. But, sometimes, we miss things that your future homebuyers will not. Take the extra couple minutes to wipe those streaks off the wall before you need to leave for their showing.
3. Do:
Light a candle on the island or put a diffuser in your bathroom. Your guests will love it. The scent gives off a warm, comfortable feel (given the candle smells good, we hope!) and sometimes, it could even makes your home memorable!
Don’t:
Do not cook before a showing, because you don’t want the smell of food or deep fried oil to linger around your home while your guests are viewing it. Unless it is absolutely impossible, try to air the home out before a showing!
4. Do:
Landscape, landscape, landscape! After all, the first thing your guests will pull up to is the front of your home! This tip is very underestimated. Ensure your grass is trimmed, your shrubs are tidy, and for the extra oomph: add a welcome placemat with some florals by the door! If you have the room, add a cute little chair set for décor. And the best part? Curb appeal can add 10% to the homes value.
Don’t:
Leave your yard unkempt. Nobody wants to walk through weeds to get through the front door!
5. Do:
Hide your razors and used bar of soap in the bathroom! It may seem insignificant, but we don’t want to see anyone’s personal hygiene belongings out in the open.
Don’t:
Have your clothes or personal hygiene belongings laying around in your bathroom, closet, or bedroom. Oh! Don’t forget: clear out the dishes in the sink, too! We completely understand that it is your home and your right, but sometimes for the sake of the showing, the extra few minutes of tidiness will definitely go a long way!
