Want To Get it Sold? Try This…

To give your house the best chance of getting sold, follow these steps to stack the deck in your favor.

1. Clean it

Make your house spotless.  Do a thorough deep cleaning of the entire house, particularly the kitchen and bathrooms.  Replace the grungy old shower curtain with a fresh new one. This is huge.

2. Ditch the clutter

Unfortunately, buyers don’t want to see your families photos and knickknacks on every shelf , dresser or counter; they want to visualize theirs.  Pack up a great majority of your personal items but still leave enough to make the home feel welcoming and appealing.   For example, try leaving a lamp, book or small plant on a table.

3. Remove some furniture

Removing some furniture will make the house seem bigger.  If you have six chairs at your dining table, put two in the garage.  Consider pulling a small couch or lounger chairs from key areas in your home like the family great room.  On our local MLS, the homes for sale that have less clutter tend to get more showings and sell faster.

4. Reconsider placement of furniture

Try to use furniture to make the house flow from room to room.  Guide your buyers through the house with the furniture placement.   Create a focal point at the far end of each room and arranging the other pieces of furniture in a triangle around that focal point.  The fireplace with the big screen can be the focal point with a couch and a chair forming the triangle.

5. Brighten

Paint is by far the biggest bang for your buck.  Wherever possible roll a coat of warm neutral paint on the walls, especially in bedrooms and baths.  Change out the low wattage bulbs with new soft white bulbs with higher wattage.  Photos of the MLS listings for sale with dark photos have a tendency to get skipped by both Realtors and prospective buyers.

6. Set the scene

Load the fireplace with logs, set the dining room table like you would for a party.  Do things to make buyers envision living there like laying out a deck of cards or game in the living room. Do this for the listing agent too, not just for showings, when they come to take photos for the MLS listing.  Most, if not all buyers are searching for properties online first and if the photos of your home for sale on the MLS don’t look good, you are going to get passed up.

7. Keep the exterior looking sharp

Keep the lawn mowed and hedges tidy.  Run the sprinklers about 30 minutes before a showing to give the lawn a glow.  Plant inexpensive but colorful flowers or add a pot of flowers at the entry.  Replace the old doormat with a fresh new one and top it off with a nice seasonal wreath on the front door.

After tracking homes for sale on my local MLS for many years, I have found sellers that follow these steps have a much better chance of selling their property quicker and for a better price than those who don’t.

For more information on these and other ideas to help you sell your home, contact Coulter Properties today.