Here’s some good advice that I commonly give to those who are planning to sell their homes.
When I walk into a home for a listing appointment and the seller asks me what they need to do to sell their house, I give them three key points of advice:
1. Make visible repairs. This means touching up paint on the walls to obscure stains or marks, cleaning up dirty carpets, or fixing a leak under the sink. All of the things a potential buyer will be able to see as they walk through your home should be in tip-top shape.
2. Depersonalize. By this, I don’t mean that you need to get rid of every little bit of humanity in your home. It’s important to show some personality and warmth. However, buyers don’t need to see a gallery of 50 family photos. You don’t want so much personalization that the buyers forget that the home has three bedrooms as opposed to four, for example. Try to neutralize the home so potential buyers can imagine themselves living there.
3. Declutter. For some, decluttering can be the worst. HGTV has ruined the process for a lot of people; all the homes featured on the show look like model homes, but normal people don’t live that way. The rule of thumb for decluttering is “when in doubt, get it out.” You’re going to move out anyway, so take the time to get all your stuff off the countertops, dust, remove extra furniture, and so on. You can put things in the garage if need be, but the less you have out, the more your home will shine—it’ll also seem larger and more spacious. Again, the less clutter you have, the more your buyers will be able to picture themselves living there.
As your guide and consultant, I can tell you all that you’ll need to accomplish in terms of repairs, depersonalizing, and decluttering, as well as refer you to service providers that can help with those tasks that you may not want to do on your own. If you have any questions or if you’re ready to sit down and hash out a strategy, reach out to us. We’re here to help.
