“For Sale” signs traditionally sprout up more in the spring than any other time of year. But with the current sluggish real estate market, if you plan to sell your home this spring it’s more important than ever to make a great first impression! Over the next three weeks I’ll share tips you can use to Get Ready, Get Set, and Get Sold!
Photo centralfloridasignpros.com
Get Ready
If you want to sell your house you need to showcase it – not showcase your lifestyle! This means you need to get yourself out of the picture and instead spotlight your home so others can imagine themselves living there. You want them to mentally move in when they tour your house and they can’t do that if it’s filled with your personal preferences and your stuff!
Photo potterybarn.com
First Depersonalize: Pack up all the personal items that tag the house as yours -therefore preventing potential buyers from imagining themself living there. This means, no matter how darling your kids or handsome your husband, pack up photos (on tables, counters and walls), collections (you may love dolls or your husband arrowheads, but the buyer will look at them instead of the house), awards and certificates, collectibles (knick knacks are clutter!) and even electronics if they are excessive or overflowing.
Clutter "before" - Photo womansday.com
- Clutter “After” – Photo womansday.com
Toy closet "Before" - Photo conquerclutter.net
Toy Closet "After" - Photo conquerclutter.net
Get a Head Start on Packing: Go through each and every closet and cupboard and reduce the contents. Pack out-of-season clothing so your closets seem bigger. Keep only the dishes, glasses, pots and kitchen gadgets you use – box up the others so buyers feel like they’re purchasing a lot of storage space. Dump old make-up, first-aid items and medications so your bathroom storage is fresh and airy. Don’t feel deprived by having to empty out these congested areas – instead rejoice in the fact that you’re getting a head start on packing and making room for a new owner.
Take This First Step
Depersonalize, declutter and pack it up! You’ve got your homework cut out for you! This is only the first step and, yes, it might be a lot of work BUT it will help translate to a higher sale price and the ability to move on with your life plan. So just do it!
Get this first step handled and you’ll be ready for next Thursday’s post about showcasing your home’s best features for a faster sale.
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We just purchased our home. (We hired Terrie and Cindy to help us decorate our great room.) When we looked at the builder’s models showcasing their different homes, they are definitely going with the less is more approach. They were designed beautifully but definitely uncluttered and impersonal.
How DID YOU KNOW that “people” are coming to see our house (we plan to move next year) next week as they love it from the outside….where to start, where to start… franki