A Great First Impression
Don't forget about the outside of your home. When thinking about making the best first impression on realtors and potential buyers, walk outside your house and start there. For example: What's around your front door? Is it pleasing? Could you add planters, rocking chairs on the porch, etc.? You may even need to de-clutter the yard. What about the driveway? Is it cracked, filled with weeds, or oil stained?
It's a big mistake to underestimate the impact of the "Curb Appeal" of your house. The first things you see that are wrong need to be addressed. These will be what potential buyers will remember about your place. And remember, it's your responsibility to guide them visually toward seeing the positive things about your home.
Showcase Positive Features
Make sure the best features of your house are given the star power they deserve. Go through each room and take note of what it is about that room that's great, and make them the focal points. In a living room, it might be a fireplace or a great window seat. For a dining room, it could be great views to the back yard. A family room may have great storage, and the bedrooms may have gorgeous hardwood floors.
You want to focus in on the positives in each space and really make the most of them, while at the same time taking the focus off what might not be so great about the room. To do this, you could rearrange furniture, remove rugs, take down dark curtains, reuse things from other rooms, and remove items where needed. Get furniture away from the walls and create inviting seating areas. By shopping for furniture and props, you can re-insert them into rooms in a new way. For example, your sofa in the living room might work better in the family room. The bulky end tables in your bedroom might be better in the living room. Or maybe that small kitchen table that no one uses becomes an innovative home office in the nook of a guest room.
Be creative about what you have first! It's no longer about how you're living in the house, but about re-thinkiing the whole design for someone else's lifestyle.
Neutralize & Brighten
Light and airy is inviting. Think fresh and clean. Make sure each room of your home feels that way. Don't hide natural light. Most realtors will take your perspective buyer through the front door; so start from there. Is the foyer or hall bright and airy, or dark and cluttered? If you need to spend money—paint is inexpensive, and you can do it yourself. Paint can cover up a lot of stuff and can change the room's mood instantly.
The other thing to spend money on is basic props such as throw pillows, an oversized mirror to make a small room look bigger, faux wooden blinds for the bedroom, or simple things such as changing out lighting to make the room brighter. Have you noticed that when realtors show a house they turn on all the lamps and lights? It's all about creating brightness, which feels happier! You want your rooms to come to life. The details, the colors, the lights all add to that transformation.
Clean and De-Clutter
Nothing is more important than a clean house. Make the spaces feel fresh and clean by detailing everything. Wash all windows inside and out. Clear out closets and paint them, too. Remove cluttering stuff and extra bulky furniture. You don't want too much going on in a room—that makes it feel small and cramped.
Always keep in mind that you are selling square footage and you need to create the illusion of space.If need be, sell the items, rent a storage unit, give them to family and friends, or donate them. Get eac h room down to the basics! Also, make sure you de-personalize your space. Remove all family photos, religious items, and any personal collections. Potential buyers want to imagine themselves in the space, not you and your family.
Freshen Up
You want to make sure your home looks modern and inviting. Outdated and over-the-top elements should be removed to neutralize your home to make it inviting for a variety of prospective buyers. Just because it's your taste or has sentimental value doesn't mean prospective buyers will appreciate it.
Examples: Remove outdated window treatments and replace with simple clean shades and/or panels. Also, switching old hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry can be an easy and relatively inexpensive update.
Final Touches
To set the stage right, you want potential buyers to be affected by your home with all their senses—the look, the sense of smell, the sounds, etc. All are part of the selling process because they create that all-important feeling of home with those coming in.
Simple touches such as fresh flowers, bowls of fruit, fresh-baked cookies on the counter, coffee brewing, nice music playing all help. These elements all play a part in triggering good feelings about your home and can make a negative into a positive. For instance, in a house on a busy street, music playing can hide that a bit, as could having blinds slightly closed so you can't see the neighbor's ugly backyard. Look at how magazines shoot rooms and use their styling ideas for your own kitchen counters, closets, how beds can be made up, how to display your kid's toys in the playroom, etc.
Follow these tips and you will have good success in selling your home.
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