We’ve all seen those atrocious MLS photos of kitchen counters that can’t be seen due to massive piles of junk, an agent’s reflection in the mirror, and the ever present open toilet seat. There are simple, quick, cheap things you can do to make your home (or a home you’re trying to sell) look more appealing, and photo’s less distracting. Some of these things may seem like common sense to some of you, unfortunately for others, this will be a revelation!
The word of the day is “Curb Appeal”: Okay, that’s actually two words. Nevertheless, when selling a home, a first impression is sometimes all you get and it doesn’t matter what you do to the inside of your house if the outside looks a mess. You don’t want to underwhelm people before they’ve even made it in the door. And you could lose potential showings with unimpressed drive-by's.
Spruce up the outside: clean the gutters, plant a few flowers or set some flower pots out, mow the lawn, trim the hedges… you get the idea.
De-clutter your home: organize those bills piled up on your desk, dining room table or kitchen counters, or don’t, throw them in a box if you have to. Just get it off the counters! Remove excessive furniture. The less you have in a room the bigger the room looks. You want people to actually be able to maneuver their way around the home, or be able to imagine that they can. Don’t be afraid to reassign things throughout your home. Take that extra chair from the living room and put it on the top landing with a small side table and a colorful throw and you have a cozy little reading nook.
Close the toilet seat: No one wants to see that, even if it’s clean. It’s distracting. (Oh, and roll up the toilet paper while you’re at it.) A few nice towels and candles never hurt anyone either.
CLEAN! : You don’t want dust bunnies in your corners or last week’s goulash on your stove over powering the fact that you have new carpet and great appliances. You must remember to really LOOK at your home. A lot gets overlooked when you see it day in and day out. Take a step back and define what you think is “clean enough”, then kick it up about 3 notches.
Organize your belongings: This probably falls within the de-clutter category as well but it is important that you tuck away the really personal stuff in your home too. Pack up photos, trophies, that collection of shot glasses from every state you’ve visited. Less is always more. No really, it is.
Lighting: Think more “warm and inviting” and less “glaring and artificial”.
Add some fresh flare: Flowers or budding branches spruce a space up. Go out in your yard, you’d be surprised what you might find that will work. Dead logs don’t count.
Clean out your closets: Again, de-clutter category, but this is important. You want to highlight storage space and a bursting at the seams closet only makes it look like you actually DON’T have enough room. Thin it out. Make it look like you have so much space you can’t fill it. (Insert reference to late night closet organizer infomercials: Too much stuff?? Not enough space?? [Dramatic shot of a woman clumsily trying to shove stuff in her bedroom closet and being hit in the head with random apparel]) You know what I’m talking about.
Make your bed: Seriously. If you can’t afford new bedding just get a few nice throw pillows, and put away those stuffed animals.
Finish that “Honey-Do” list: Potential buyers don’t want to walk into a home full of half-finished weekend warrior projects. Knock out those little touch ups and fill-in’s. It’ll make the house look more finished (because it is) and less like the new owner will have to give up a valued weekend day to fix things.
Fresh paint: A coat of paint does wonder to brighten up a space. Just don’t get crazy with color. You want your home to be as non-specific as possible, but you don’t have to pick boring beige or egg-shell white. Do stay neutral and calm though. You don’t want your home to look like the circus just came to town. It might seem silly, but some buyers just DO NOT want to paint. The daunting task of covering all those walls may be a deal breaker.
For a walk-through specifically (This info doesn’t help your photos, but it will help your showings and open houses):
Temperature: We all like to save money but being stingy on the heating and cooling when you’re showing your home will only hurt your pocket. Keep it comfy whatever the weather.
Air freshener: It has been said the smell of fresh baked cookies will win anyone over, but merely making sure your home doesn’t smell bad is good. You want to make sure there is no trace of Fido, Mr. Jingles, last night’s Tuna Tartar, or son Johnny’s soccer gear lingering in the air. And the same “good enough” rule in regards to cleanliness applies to smell. You may be immune to it, so even if you can’t smell it assume it is there and take precautionary measure to eliminate it.
The hardest thing for some people to realize is that they are not selling “their home” they are selling their house. You want potential buyers to be able to imagine themselves and their belongings in that space. This means you have to depersonalize it, make it inviting, and make it pliable. You don’t necessarily want a blank canvas because some people have a hard time imaging a completed space but you don’t want to only present to them your style of living. Find a happy, neutral, open-possibility medium.
To home buyers a tidy home = a well cared for home. And a little really can go a long way. Think of showing your home like a “job interview”. You wouldn’t show up to a meeting with a potential employer unshaven, sloppy and in yesterday’s pajamas would you? You shouldn’t show your home that way either. You would be clean, well kept, polite and cheery, and you should present your home the same way.
Good luck and happy staging!
-Adrienne
