Stage to Sell
Bear with me everyone, my husband and I have decided to sell the first home we purchased together and move into what I have deemed “my dream home”. What this means for you is that I will probably reflect a lot of this process in my future blogs… just wait until spring, I have so many thoughts about the garden… But first, we must sell our current house! This is the first time I’ve ever attempted to sell a house and have been doing a lot of research about how to best prep my home to make others want to live there (staging). I thought I’d share with you all what I have found out along the way!
First things first, declutter your home. For me, this meant PURGE. All the coupons I’ve been meaning to take with me to Kroger- Gone! The food processor I’d planned on getting repaired over a year ago- Gone! The twin sheet sets in addition to the 3 we currently have in rotation- Gone! It is so freeing and not only do my counter tops look better but my closets are beautiful (at least so much better than they were). Speaking of counter tops, remove all items on your counters except 1 or 2 items, even your hand soap at your kitchen sink, stash it under the sink during showings. This one shocked me, I thought, “what if they need to wash their hands?” But honestly, why would someone looking at your home need to wash their hands at the kitchen sink?
Now to take on the scratches and marks on the walls that I’ve been overlooking, likely since their inception. This is where the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser comes in. I’m just being honest with everyone, after a thorough cleaning and a few swipes of the magic eraser (there were a handful of marks that needed elbow grease) my baseboards and doors almost look freshly painted! I wish I’d done this ages ago. My house feels so much lighter and clean! I recommend that you invite someone over who you are close to and would feel comfortable pointing out some things you may have overlooked. We all do it, we get used to what we see and your honest friend will help you to see your house from an outsider’s perspective.
My final big take away from everything that I read was the smell of your home. Of course, you want your home to be inviting to everyone and a big part of that appeal is the smell. Here is where it gets tough—your home needs to smell nice but you wouldn’t want the fragrance to draw attention to itself so that the buyer wonders what you are covering up. I feel like this is especially true for those of us who have dogs. In the seller’s disclosure, you must tell them that you have a dog. Meaning, potential buyers will be on the lookout for signs of your little fuzz butt! If your house has a distinct air freshener fragrance they may think you are hiding traces of dog or other pets.
These three have been my main areas of concentration this week with a deep clean coming tomorrow then it will be listed! Hopefully by adhering to these staging tips we will sell quickly and you will too! IF you are selling, have you gotten prequalified for your next mortgage? Are you 100% sure you are getting the best rate? Give us a call and let us see if we can’t provide you another, if not better, option! (888) 914-2276