Your Daily Real
Estate Blog
From
Supreme Manor
Real Estate Services
20 Tricks
to Selling Your Home
Selling a house is a lot like
romance. It really pays to set the mood. Real estate pros call it staging --
showcasing the best side of a home to create interest and help you get top
dollar. Here are 20 tricks to selling
your home from the pros:
1. Make room.
Clear out as much furniture as you
can. Put it in storage, give it to Goodwill Industries or have a garage sale. What
you want to do is open the house up so it does not look cluttered -- it looks
spacious. And people can picture their own stuff in it. Hallways and doorways,
in particular, need to be clear and open.
2. Use counter intelligence.
Go through the house and clear off
all the horizontal surfaces like kitchen and bathroom countertops. Counters
need to be clear and clean. Remove
all personal items like pictures, gadgets, etc.
These can be distracting and cause a cluttered appearance.
3. Follow your nose.
A home should smell good. That means
no noticeable odor -- no pet scent, no stale cooking smells and no cigarette
smoke. Get rid of scent problems at the source: scrub the house, have the air
vents cleaned, replace old, smelly carpeting and smoke outside. There are now paints that can remove odors
from the walls and ceiling.
4. Remember, the next buyer is as lazy as you are.
If the property needs work -- dated
wallpaper, ratty carpet -- have it replaced now so that all buyers have to
picture is moving day. Most people want it before they move in.
5. Do the baby test.
Does your potential market include
families with young kids? If so, ask yourself, "Would I put my child down
on this floor to crawl around the room?" If not, you know what you have to fix.
Likewise, if your walls sport grimy smudges or handprints, it might be worth it
to paint.
6. Deep-six the cigarettes.
Buyers are much more sensitive to
cigarette smells. Having a smoker in the house also eliminates a lot of
potential buyers. Many shoppers won't even want to tour a home if the owner is
a smoker.
7. Make your home ageless.
There's a difference between an old
house and a classic home. If the house looks 40 years old with 40-year-old
paint, 40-year-old appliances and 40-year-old carpet, that's a hard sell. Keep
everything fresh and up-to-date and you have a solid home in an established
neighborhood -- a real looker.
8. Let there be light.
People buy space and light, for the
most part. So open the blinds. Turn on all the lights. Add lights in rooms that
are dark. And if Mother Nature isn't cooperating with your marketing efforts, use
more flowers and things that suggest sunlight.
9. Get a home inspection.
Do it now -- and make any needed
repairs before you put the home on the market. Depending on where you live, the
service will probably run about $200 to $400, and your real estate professional
can recommend several good inspectors.
10. Learn to love neutral colored walls.
When it comes to walls, color is
popular. The problem is that the next buyer might not like the same colors.
Paint is a relatively inexpensive way to make a house look clean and fresh. And
if you're going to repaint prior to selling, stick with neutrals. And remember that light colors reflects the
light best and makes rooms look their largest.
11. Take a close look at the carpet.
Get the carpet shampooed to get out
any stains or smells. If that doesn't work, replace it. Get rid of carpet that
looks dirty, soiled, stained. And consider, if you can, wood or laminates as an
alternative.
12. Avoid controversy.
If you have a deer head on the wall,
you might want to take it down. It will be a turnoff to some buyers. We also advise
clients to play it safe with the books and magazines they display while showing
a home. Anything provocative could turn off buyers.
13. Replace deteriorating wallpaper.
If wallpaper is peeling -- especially
in bathrooms -- remove it and consider replacing it with a coat of paint. Go
with a neutral or match the tile. Likewise, if the kids' rooms need a fresh
look. That way, buyers are looking at the house, not your decorating skills.
And it's easier for them to see their things in the space.
14. Clean your closets.
Sellers need to empty the closets of
half the things they have in them. Partially empty closets look roomy -- and
space sells. Do the same thing with kitchen cabinets.
15. Harness flower power.
Showing your home on a budget? Go for
less expensive bouquets, green plants or seasonal flowers from the yard. It gives
the home a nice, softer feel and will help you sell your home quickly.
16. Open the windows.
If it's a cool summer day, have the
windows open. Conversely, if it's cold and dreary, light a fire in the
fireplace.
17. Take everyone's advice with a grain of salt.
Putting colors and tastes aside, if a
person drives by and the home is exciting and it's showy -- even if your colors
may not be as neutral as they like -- they'll be turned on.
18. Keep it clean. No dust, cobwebs or trash.
People looking to buy a home are
extremely observant and meticulous.
19. Set your house apart.
People not only remembered the
detail, but they rated the home higher as a result. You need to give the home a
hook, like putting yellow roses on the dining room table, something that makes
it different in a positive way from the other houses.
20. Keep it real.
You don't have to go to the extreme
of one buyer -- who before a showing set up the bedroom to look like the night
maid had just been through and pulled down the comforter, fluffed the pillow
and placed a book open on the bed. You don't want it to look so staged that
it's artificial. What you want is for them to walk in there and say “I could
put myself here.”
I hope this information is useful.
Should you need assistance with any of your real estate needs,
please contact Supreme Manor Real Estate Services 773-881-9224. Feel free to visit us on our website or any
of our social media sites.
Have a Supreme Day!
Sheila M. Wilkinson-Sanders
Managing Broker/Owner - CPA, GRI, CNC
Supreme Manor Real Estate Services
1840 West 95th Street
Chicago, IL 60643
(773) 785-0127 Direct
(773) 797-9640 (fax)
