Ask the Experts: Preparing to Sell Your Home
Posted September 18th, 2012 | by The Update
Simple, uncluttered decorations are best when staging your home.
What do I need to do to prepare my home to sell?
Thorough preparation is essential for a speedy, successful home sale. Here are tips to make sure your home is ready for its big debut.
Curb appeal – or lack thereof – significantly influences buyers’ first impressions, so the front yard is a great place to focus your initial efforts. Start by adding seasonal color to your flowerbeds, trimming trees, cleaning windows and freshening paint. These minor tasks often bring major payoffs.
Improvements to your home’s interior spaces, such as steam cleaning carpets and purchasing a few new appliances, indicate a lovingly maintained residence. By making sure each room looks crisp and well kept, you reassure buyers that they will have a smooth move-in that won’t require extra work.
Sellers are also wise to stage their homes, which involves de-cluttering, de-personalizing, rearranging and/or redecorating. Rooms often need to be presented much differently than how the owners live so that prospective buyers can visualize their own belongings in the space. Consider “less is always more,” so sellers may want to consider renting a storage unit while waiting for a buyer to bite.
When it’s time for a showing, be sure that pets are put away securely and have your agent light some softly-scented candles. Avoid vanilla, however – polls indicate that it is the least favorable smell of all.
For more information visit briggsfreeman.com/Ask-The-Experts. Ask the Experts panel includes top producing agents with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty.
preparing to sell your home
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