Putting your home on the market can seem daunting. Especially if you occupy your home while the home is being marketed. We get asked often, what can we do to make the home “show ready”? We have included a list of suggestions….and of course we have included some of our “pet peeves”. Choose the right agent who is not afraid to speak up. We will candidly walk through your home and give suggestions on what needs to be done, furniture placement etc.
- Front of your home “Curb appeal” is what everyone talks about. Regardless of where we or an agent places the lockbox, the potential buyers are left for a moment while the agent accesses the lockbox to obtain the key. Even if it is on the front door, buyers are assessing – mostly because they have nothing to really look at and are forced to take in the immediate area for a while. LONGER if the listing agent has not made it clear where the lockbox is. Trust me people will notice every detail and will set the tone of what’s inside.
- Paint the front door – replace it if necessary. If it is a metal door and has dents, scratches or looks in general bad repair, get to work. A front door often goes overlooked. Same goes for a garage door. Look at the trim, seals etc. A fresh coat of HOA approved paint goes a long way.
- Take a look at the walkway, the weeds, empty planters, pigeon poop on the railing and tend to it immediately if it needs attention and remember to maintain it until closing.
- Consider power washing the driveway. Oil stains, tire marks etc, all can be a distraction.
- Trim the trees, shrubs, the grass, replace rocks – whatever. Make a good first impression.
- Please put out a NEW welcome mat…and not something quirky or tacky!
- Remove cobwebs, replace front entry lights, and sweep!
- Once inside, let’s set the tone we want the buyer to experience. Walk your home with a fresh set of eyes. After all this is where most buyers are going to spend the majority of their time…especially the main living areas and the master bedroom.
- Let’s not walk into ANY foul odors. Yes, foul odors for most include those plug-in air fresheners, candles that smell of “clean linen anything” and anything else that may be pungent. Maybe not to you, but chances are we have experienced a number of different smells in homes that day while shopping. Please DO NOT bake cookies. Buyers do not want to smell them no matter what you have heard. THINK NEUTRAL!
- Pets. Please take them outside or make the decision to board them if you are on the market and are not able to remove them for showings. On carpets use regular baking soda to neutralize odors. Barking dogs in kennels are a distraction…worse yet your “friendly” dog may not be so friendly with strangers in the home – especially if you are not there.
- Try not to cook in your home immediately prior to showings. No one wants to smell your meatloaf or chicken curry. Same goes for Chinese take -out. It stinks!
- Gym bags, yoga mats, shoes etc. all hold onto smells. Maybe not to you…but trust me to others they might.
- Citrus means clean to most people. Lightly spray a natural citrus scent before showing. Essential oils are great versus chemical sprays etc.
- Set the temperature to something buyers will deem comfortable. In the summer keep it cooler than you normally would, during winter, do not make it too warm and not too cold to create a cold feel.
- Open up every blind, every curtain and make the house as bright as possible. Turn on every single light. A bright house seems more welcoming and bigger.
- De-personalize everything! The buyer’s want to visualize themselves in the home, not the way you live in it. Yes, there is a balance between still “living” in your home, and one that becomes sterile. You may have to live with a few less comforts while you are on the market. This includes removing family photos. Keep it simples…and declutter and organize every room in your home – this may mean possibly removing some artwork etc. So those oversized canvas wrapped wedding photos…. under the bed they go.
- Counters…. clean them up! Bathrooms and kitchens and please remember to PUT THE TOILET SEAT DOWN!
- Medication should be collected and placed in a secured area…. same goes for guns. Hide them well and anything else of value for that matter.
- Your closets should be tidy as well. Put a few fabric softener sheets on shelves to keep it fresh since there is not much circulation.
- Outside your homes, back and side yards.
- Absolutely NO pet waste. Pick it up daily, and hose down patio or other areas where Fifi may piddle.
- Put away the garden gnomes, flags, wind-chimes etc. De-personalize here too.
- Replace patio cushions on furniture if sun worn or tattered.
- Clean up landscape, shape shrubs and bushes and replace any dead plants
- Pull weeds and keep the area tidy.
- If you home have a pool, check it daily that it looks the best it should. Clean out leaves and make sure it is sparkling. Turn on any water features the pool or spa may have.
- Your garage is an extension of your home too. Make it neat clean and tidy and not a storage area for all your belongings you have recently decluttered from your home.
A few of my favorites.…. have fun with them!
- Sellers who leave for the day or for a showing and DO NOT make the beds! I have had to make far too many beds during my career for sellers who think this is acceptable. Don’t get any ideas!
- Flush Toilets and lower the lids. I never realized how many people do not flush a toilet after using it. Who would of thought this is something people regularly forget.
- Try not to shower before a showing comes. It is never nice to walk into a bathroom that is steamy, smelling like Pantene and has a wet floor.
- Clothes go into a hamper…especially when trying to sell your home. Not in a pile in the laundry room on strewn about the bedroom…please and thanks!
- Cat litter boxes….no one wants to see or smell how healthy your cat’s diet is.
- If you remain home during a showing, let the pros do their job and become invisible. Nothing is more uncomfortable than viewing a home when the owner is tagging along.
- Hide your personal items! No one wants to see your boudoir photos, the type of underwear you wear or anything else that you would not want your mother to see!
Consider hiring a cleaning person to clean before you list and consider hiring one throughout the listing period. It takes a small burden off of you and ensures your home is always show ready! We have a great cleaning company we can suggest….and suggest you call her……regardless!
